Janet Paszkowski // Poetry

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Splice of Life

(A Haibun Poem) 

     I tracked my inheritance via the Internet–one large brown box containing an 8mm     projector, thirty-eight film spools and a splicing machine cradled in a sea of Styrofoam       peanuts: shipped, en route, and delivered to unit. 

      private time machine 

      sprockets of mortal moments 

      project memories 

     Once upon a time . . . I was tethered to a fractured family that seemingly treasured each other –if only on cue through a shaky lens hallmarking their ritual gatherings. 

     Now . . . as my heritage unwinds—frame by frame—I am simultaneously propelled forward and backward.   Torn in time. 

     Splicing blade in hand 

     I contemplate the fine art 

     of preservation  

Date of Publication: 25 Jan 2008