HOW STRENGTH ENTERS THE PICTURE

C.G. Thompson

Problem is there’s no one to help me
when I discover the roll of carpet,      

sea-foam green and unassuming, 
in the hallway cubbyhole upstairs.

Stored for years in my parents’ house,
pile and backing look unexpectedly new,

well-rested, you could say, which I envy.
Settling an estate exacts a toll,

requiring organization, memory, 
patience, diplomacy—and, might I add,

grit, brought out when a house flipper
decreed a three-year-old roof old,

claimed the screened-in porch was sagging,
even critiqued the slope of the driveway.

But I digress. Presenting as lightweight,
carpet proves the opposite, pipeline

pulling me in, stealing my breath.
I stop, rummage my mind for magic,

hoping to subdue the laws of physics,
a wish as doubtful as silencing the flipper

who studied various pieces of furniture,
pitched low-ball offers, leveraging grief.

The attic fan cycles on, returns my thoughts
to the tight coil that waits patiently

while I consider concepts of energy and force. 
Finally fingernails find traction on backing,

and I tilt carpet off balance, minimizing heft,
suddenly feeling the sharp absence of my parents.

Fighting inertia, I struggle to the banister,
angle the mass up the balusters, use railing

as a fulcrum, send object into free fall.
It lands with a loud thunk, then plops step    

by step to first floor. Task is halfway done,
much like paperwork as thick and daunting:

canceling credit cards, transferring stocks,
completing tax forms, filing fiduciary reports.

Standing by my father’s favorite rose bush,
pushy buyer demanded another negotiation.

insisted I’d be eager to accept his price.
Following displacement downstairs I assess—  

no fulcrums in sight, concrete path to the curb
a preview of friction. I sigh a quick vow:           

sheer force of will must come into play,
awakened inner strength will do the work.

C.G. Thompson writes both poetry and short fiction. Two of her poems appeared in the inaugural issue of The Tomahawk Creek Review. Recent fiction has appeared in Flash Frontier and FlashFlood Journal. Her stories have been read at events in London and Hong Kong. She has forthcoming work set to appear in the Brilliant Flash Fiction 10th Anniversary Edition.