A Place to Rest
This felt like a place to rest:
a soft pillow for my head to lean against
warmth to press into on cold nights.
This felt like safety
when tornadoes had ravaged every town I visited.
I caught my breath for twenty nine days
a mermaid on a rock enjoying the sunlight,
the music that played in seashells.
And then just as quickly
a hurricane formed in the distance.
Safety was swept away
the tide shifted and waves became violent, shoving me underneath
as I forgot how to swim.
This felt like a place to rest when I got here
and now I realize
it’s the last place to fall asleep.
Lynne Schmidt (she/her) is a mental health professional in Maine. Her unpublished memoir, The Right to Live: A Memoir of Abortion has received Maine Nonfiction Award and was a 2018 PNWA finalist, while her poetry has received the Editor's Choice Award for her poem, Baxter, from Frost Meadow Review, and her chapbook, Dead Dog Poems, was honorable mention from Pub House Books. Her work has appeared in Soft Cartel, RESIST/RECLAIM, Royal Rose, Maine Dog Magazine, Alyss Literary, Her Kind Vida, and others. When given the choice, Lynne prefers the company of her three dogs and one cat to humans.
She is a regular contributor for Marias at Sampaguitas.
Twitter: @LynneSchmidt @Abortion Chat
Facebook: Lynn(e) Schmidt
Comments