A Poem for Tabletop Pose

"My hips and shoulders aligned, I am in balance, finally, and able to hold the weight of the world on my back..." from Tabletop Pose by Corie Feiner

When I sat down to write Tabletop Pose, I was excited by the idea of embodying a table. Then I geeked out on the history of tables, types of tables around the world, and then whether or not tabletop was one word or two words. I settled on one.

(Do you ever go down a research rabbit hole when you sit down with the intention of writing? Leave a comment. I always respond:)

What I Needed to Begin

I realized that what I needed to begin this poem was to get out of my head and get into my body and let it speak.

I stood up, shook out my strained arms and limbs, got down on the floor, and gently moved myself into Tabletop Pose.

There I was, next to my table, beneath it, in fact, with the dust bunnies, lost coins, rubber bands, and the edges of a frayed Persian rug.

I thought of the strength of my table and all it had endured. I thought of the meals I have cooked from scratch and served and eaten with my dear husband and two sons. I thought of the things we have fixed on its wood veneer surface…