Your Favorite Poems

Cin · 12-15-2011, 05:12 PM

A PASTURE OF MY PALM
Robin Becker

Trembling, desirous, above the display
case, I hovered with my child’s palm. Beneath,
porcelain palominos stamped their feet
and foals stood with their long legs splayed. I longed

to take one home, to place it on a shelf
and study the raised leg, the frothy mane.
Then cupping the horse’s shape in my hand,
I’d make a pasture of my palm, a field.

No one was looking, no one, I reasoned,
would know I swiped it, toy in my pocket.
That night I stroked the caramel china.
I was galloping, when my mother walked

into my room. She knew I was lying.
(The horse? a gift…) I cried when she told me
we’d speak with the manager the next day.
In his office I stood, wept, but even

then I was really crying for the cheap
horse back in the glass case, my mother,
my foolish and punishable desires,
the future taking shaping: coral, stampede.

12-15-2011, 05:12 PM	#11
Cin Senior Member How Do You Identify?: Butch Preferred Pronoun?: she Relationship Status: Truly Madly Deeply Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: In My Head Posts: 2,815 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 6,333 Thanked 10,401 Times in 2,477 Posts Rep Power: 21474853	A PASTURE OF MY PALM Robin Becker Trembling, desirous, above the display case, I hovered with my child’s palm. Beneath, porcelain palominos stamped their feet and foals stood with their long legs splayed. I longed to take one home, to place it on a shelf and study the raised leg, the frothy mane. Then cupping the horse’s shape in my hand, I’d make a pasture of my palm, a field. No one was looking, no one, I reasoned, would know I swiped it, toy in my pocket. That night I stroked the caramel china. I was galloping, when my mother walked into my room. She knew I was lying. (The horse? a gift…) I cried when she told me we’d speak with the manager the next day. In his office I stood, wept, but even then I was really crying for the cheap horse back in the glass case, my mother, my foolish and punishable desires, the future taking shaping: coral, stampede. __________________ The reason facts don’t change most people’s opinions is because most people don’t use facts to form their opinions. They use their opinions to form their “facts.” Neil Strauss

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