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The Left Arm's Funeral

for the "Unnecessary Line" challenge

By Imola TóthPublished a day ago Updated a day ago 1 min read
The Left Arm's Funeral
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

He wept into his mothers skirt.

The day was hot with salty steam.

The old oak bent to offer shade for

the one who had to learn

how to be full again.

.

The pastor raised his head,

sweat droplets melted down his face,

he didn't know what words to say

to ease a phantom itch.

"The clouds look like turtles."

.

They lowered him slowly,

into the opened earth below the gnarly tree.

He threw his toy train on the casket.

"So long, old pal."—so, it came to full circle,

and now he has to learn

how to live whole again.

Free Verse

About the Creator

Imola Tóth

I write poetry and fiction on the edge of the map when I'm not working in the forest.

Medium | Instagram

Reader insights

Outstanding

Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!

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  1. Heartfelt and relatable

    The story invoked strong personal emotions

  2. Easy to read and follow

    Well-structured & engaging content

  3. Compelling and original writing

    Creative use of language & vocab

  1. On-point and relevant

    Writing reflected the title & theme

  2. Eye opening

    Niche topic & fresh perspectives

  3. Excellent storytelling

    Original narrative & well developed characters

  4. Masterful proofreading

    Zero grammar & spelling mistakes

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Comments (7)

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  • Silver Dauxabout 15 hours ago

    This was masterfully done. I absolutely loved it! Such a fantastic entry, best of luck!!

  • Dharrsheena Raja Segarranabout 17 hours ago

    Oooo, this was so deep. Loved your take on this challenge!

  • Mark Grahama day ago

    Good job and learning to live on with loss of whatever.

  • I can guess what the unnecessary line is. I think I can guess what it's for too.

  • 💖 The pastor seems far removed here. The words he utters when he doesn't know how to ease a "phantom itch" say more about his religious distance than they do about the one weeping in his mother's skirt. The Antithesis between these two selves is silent, but the moral bearing is tight enough for me to see the knot around his influence.

  • Wow, this is really well done.

  • Sara Wilsona day ago

    Oh! What a creative take on this challenge. It flows effortlessly but I immediately knew what it was for. Great work!

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