Scatter Me
Ekphrastic Challenge July 2025
This poem was written in response to the Rattle® Poetry Ekphrastic Challenge for July 2025 and was ultimately not selected. You can find more information here.
https://www.rattle.com/ekphrastic/
Scatter Me
Unrolled from the safety deposit box
Your last will and testament
The lawyer read:
“It is my final wish for my wife to spread my ashes in all the places that had meaning to us. There, I will forever rest in beautiful memories.”
The document was given to me
And handwritten below
A long list of locations
That would surely break my heart
It began:
• In Key West - where against a tropical sunset, I slipped a ring on your finger
• In Sequoia National Park - where on our honeymoon, we tried to wrap our arms around the tree trunks
• In Wisconsin - where on our yearly family camping trip, we taught our kids to fish
• In the Smoky Mountains - where on our 30th anniversary, we hiked part of the Appalachian Trail
• In Arizona …, In Alaska …, In New York …
• In Paris …, In London …, In Tokyo …, In Cairo …, In Rio …
• At the Taj Mahal …, At Chichen Itza …, At Stonehenge …
-
And so I did
-
I sprinkled you into the forest floor
And across prairies
From the tops of mountains
To the valleys below
The ocean waves washed over you
Mixing you into the sand
From desert dunes to arctic ice
I watched the river currents carry you away
-
And every handful of you
That I let go to the wind
Took a heart-full of me
Along with it
Now, having traveled the world over
There is nothing left to either of us
Submitted under MRB
About the Creator
Rae Fairchild (MRB)
I love to write; putting pen to paper fills my heart and calms my soul!
Rae Fairchild is my pen name. (Because why not? Pseudonyms are cool!)
I do publish elsewhere under my real name, M.R.B.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insight
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
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Comments (10)
heartbreaking and beautiful
Congratulations on your top story, Rae- beautifully written! Also, congrats on submitting to Rattle. It's loaded with competition. Keep on keeping on with them. I recently returned there and think it's a great place to grow!
Beautifully painful.
There’s a softness in the pain here, really touching.
Aww so touching. Congratulations on top story.
Beautiful legacy for you both. Congrats on Top Story!
What a beautiful and symbolic gesture, all the places that meant something to both. I picture the journey teh moment when a little ash sprinkled here and there, until the wind takes teh rest. Congratulations on Top Story
Very beautiful love poem. Congrats on Top Story!
So heartfelt and beautifully written!
I love how your list of places turns into a journey of grief and love.