Golden Shovels: A Collection

God's Gift

After Andrew Ouellette's In Decline

"One of God's Own Rejects"

I always thought I was the one

Who everyone thought of

When they reflected on the most precious gift of God's

And I was more than willing to say I own

That place, but alas, I am one of many rejects

Giggling Sprites

After Blair's untitled Day 11 Pantoum

"Keeps me anchored to the earth"

They bring me back to reality. It keeps

My mind sharply focused on things other than me,

These little giggling sprites who seem anchored

To the pillows on the bed they've been sent to

For tucking in and forehead kisses before the

Nighttime stories about the heavens and the earth

Untitled

after Beverly's My Mother's Heartbeat

"On a white blanket, tucked too neatly"

We find ourselves carrying on,

privately self-chastising for pretending a

hole was not cut out with a searing white

hot knife, that our seeping blood could soak a blanket,

but still we try to keep our pain tucked

inside, fearing that one day, we too,

will end and be boxed up neatly

Naida Lavon

April 18, 2022, PCC Poetry Class

Angie Ebba, instructor

In-class writing exercise: Golden Shovel