ABANDONED

My childhood only taught me
only to let go
Every two years
a new home, a new set of friends, a new life
Letting go became a habit
which I still struggle to unlearn
I even let go of my most loved job as racehorse groom
How I loved those animals—
their personalities, their horsy aroma
their enjoyment of what they were bred to do
In “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus”
there’s another letting go
letting go of a dream to fly to the sun
How do humans survive so many losses?

Martha Garner is a passionate lover of nature. She found her home in Lafayette 11 years ago and has never looked back. Her spiritual home is with The Festival of Words, of which she is currently the Executive Director.