Photo by Michael Aleo
I don’t want to compartmentalize anymore,
Now that I know what all the compartmentalizing is for.
Divvying up our hopes into neatly wrapped
Parcel packages,
Might serve as a good distraction
From instant gratification,
While en-route to far off goals, but soon the mentality
That gift baskets comprise reality,
Creates falsehood,
Making us dissatisfied,
Endlessly seeking what doesn’t exist.
At the end of the pursuit, a mountainous pile of boxes awaits.
Anxiously, we snap open the twine,
Only to find,
Devastatingly,
That inside, every box is empty.
The Author
Samantha Terrell is an American poet whose work emphasizes social justice and emotional
integrity. Her poetry has been published in a variety of chapbooks and journals, including:
Algebra of Owls, Dissident Voice, Dove Tales by Writing for Peace, the Ebola chapbook by
West Chester University (PA), Knot Magazine, Lucky Jefferson, Peeking Cat Poetry, Poetry
Quarterly and others. Raised in the Midwest, Samantha and her family now reside in Upstate
New York.
Samantha Terrell