“What I Contain” a poem by Lydia Brown
What I Contain
by Lydia Brown
My journals burned with my childhood dolls
In a warehouse in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan
(This was after we lost the house
To bankruptcy and then to fire)
I have lost more words
Across the world
Than some may write in a lifetime:
One exploded laptop
One decadent sketchbook
With a red leather cover
Near the river in Brisbane, Australia
Some contain multitudes—
I contain every word I’ve ever written
Every song I’ve breathed into the chilled air
Even once, never to be sung again
They are here, informing my depth
They are on the tip of my tongue
When I speak to my children
They are why I can still my soul and create
And destroy and start again
None of them can be taken from me
This was written as part of the Oct/POEM/ber 2024 challenge.
Oct/POEM/ber Journal Entry Prompt
Lydia Brown writes poems, songs, and content for children. She is a speech pathologist, yoga teacher, and recently directed a choir for people with Aphasia post stroke and brain injury. She lives in St. Louis with her husband and two young children.
