I’ve always loved the First Mover speech from Chaucer’s Knight’s Tale. So here is a little lyric I wrote inspired by that concept and my son’s experience moving from San Antonio to Kerrville when he was just a year old. (We actually moved on his birthday!)
Underneath the text of the poem, I’m embedding a little podcast if you want to hear me read it. (I feel strongly that poetry should be experienced out loud.)Â
You know you want to read this poem.
First Mover
A one year old can’t understand moving
trucks, hand trucks, or dollies—
except the kind his sister undresses and dances
down the hallway past mattresses propped up
to make A-frame caves. His uncles load up
his dresser and bookshelf and carry the toy chest
still full, one on each side, jostling the contents
enough to make the toys sing lullabies
to soothe themselves against the dark
future of spending forever in this box.
He sits on his mama’s hip and hears
his muffled stuff as they carry it away
to suffer its sentence of 3 days
in the truck. But on the third day
in the new town, on the drive of the new house
Dad’ll roll the door away, assess the shifting
and call the boxes back out. Batteries
may bring voice to toys again, though
life must cry expectedly weak.
“Oh do you know the moving van,
the moving van, the moving van,
who moved my life away?â€
If you are really really bored, you can subscribe to my very unofficial and sporadic podcast at GoodWordEditing on Gabcast!
6 comments ↓
Must we be bored to listen? Will I be disqualified if I am happily chomping on my afternoon?
Love your poem.
No no. Bored is just what you must be to subscribe. It’s just me with my typical self-effacement tactics.
I really like this. I don’t think I’ve read many poems about moving… but it seems like such an obvious topic to right about.. since all these weird obstacles, and stress go hand in hand with it. Not to mention for most people it’s some kind of a turning point or new beginning.
For some reason I’m very averse to moving.. even within the same city.
Anyway, the poem is great.. and made me feel like I was moving through an illustrated children’s book.
It’s always good to hear from you Ally! I hope the Chaucer references didn’t send you into bad AP English flashbacks.
I grew up moving. My dad was in the military and we moved every two years. Sometimes more often. That means I have this conflicting desire to plant deep roots somewhere–anywhere!–but a learned sense of wanderlust.
For now, I’m very content with the Texas hill country.
I enjoyed hearing the gabcast! The poem had a hint of Toy Story to it-loved it.
ahh, AP English. Now there’s memory that hollowed out a special place in my heart. Yes, Chaucer is a direct throwback to that one, but I loved the poetry. You did a great job uncovering the mystery of experience through the eyes of a child. I think I still have those eyes, although they are mystified by other unknowns now. Like wondering what I will find at the end of my WIP?
and thanks for the visit.