It was scary at first, and hurtful, to be
abandoned. Unmoored, unhinged,
no mate. A fear that all I have left
is entropy, microscopic decline, exhaling
my polyethylene breath, my toxins,
on the napes of my verdant companions,
but I am buoyed by the lilypads’ sibilant
there, there, our rhizomatic exchange.
Look how they embrace the cosmos!
Mired in the ebon deep of the pond, yet
they aspire to the firmament, baring
tender green palms. I trust that, with time,
I can learn from them how to be whole –
how to be not just another empty sole.
♣
Sharon McCartney is the author of eight books of poetry, including, most recently, Hey Trouble and Other Poems (Baseline Press, 2024), Villa Negativa (Biblioasis, 2021) and Metanoia (Biblioasis, 2016). She lives in Victoria, BC.
♣
♣
BONUS… B A C K S T O R Y
I love when a writer is willing to share a glimpse into how a piece of writing came to be. When I sent this photo to Sharon as her ‘prompt’ I expected either poetry or prose in response… she chose poetry then added not only backstory, but a fabulous visual into her process.
“My first thought was poor Croc – where is your mate?! Croc looked so alone out there, floating on the lily pads but, as a loner myself, I know how fruitful solitude can be. So I decided to paint the scene, as a way to explore that. I had recently begun working with a Jungian psychoanalyst, who encouraged me to paint. (Jung was very big on all forms of creativity.) I have never painted in my life... and I have no visual art skills, clearly, but painting is interesting. It’s about letting the unconscious have a hand. What I found with this piece was that the lily pads took over. They’re the focus – the way they straddle darkness and light, feeding on both. As I painted, I found that Croc was the voice I wanted but Croc didn’t need to be in the picture. The lily pads are the way. My analysis is ongoing — I continue to paint and write and unearth..”
~ Sharon McCartney
The Litter I See Project 