Because Longing is Part of Belonging

February 23, 2021 1 Comment

Rebekah Denison Hewitt 's piece "Because Longing Is Part of Belonging" originally appeared on Ruminate's Issue 36: Writ in Water.

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REBEKAH DENISON HEWITT  

Because Longing Is Part of Belonging: 

The father with his daughters’ names tattooed 
on his eyelids. The older daughter searching
the trailer, the trailer, stale cigarettes and mange.
She grabs clothing, books, a lamp, a picture. Things
to bring to the group home. To her, the world 
is a garbage dump. The world is white sand beaches,
both are littered with the excrement of birds. 
It’s suspicious that model homes and malls  
exist at all, isn’t it? Those museums of wanting, 
who belongs there? 
I don’t want to keep you 
too long, but I do 
want to tell you about refunds. 
How if you’re a single parent who goes to prison
and your kids get taken by the state, you worry
about the neighbors walking off  
with your washer. 
The whale watch where everyone puked 
into the sea while the careening boat  
was surrounded by whales 
raising their tails to smack  
the water. No one even cared—  
heads down, breathing the boat’s exhaust.  
No refunds, rough seas were announced  
before leaving the dock. 
What if there was no warning?  
What if you didn’t pay for this? 
What difference does it make? Belongings 
stinking and stacked in a laundry basket,  
what is stolen, what remains and who pre-paid.
Her dad gave her some roller skates, 
then walked away with his head in his hands.

 

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Photo by Patrick Schreiber on Unsplash

 

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