Five siblings inherit a blanket. They lie beneath it, together, to stay warm.
          But arms and legs stick out and the siblings squabble and tug. They do
          not realize that they would all fit if they just moved closer together.

This is the Blanket Story. Poets, artists, and musicians have responded to this tale in creative ways. All poems appear here, our ONLINE POETRY SHOWCASE. Visit our main page to find out more about the project.

Tanya Bryan

Written in Faded Pencil

how we forget
burying the memories
in sepia tones
toes and elbows
of five siblings
sticking out from
the shared blanket
our only inheritance
besides each other
our shared grief
and the bickering
of whose toes and elbows
better deserved
the last bits of warmth
leftovers of our parents’ love

looking back we remember
the nights better than the days
sharpened by bitter sleeplessness
and a pain we never spoke of
unless tugs on that worn old blanket
counted as soundless words
written in faded pencil
on a scorecard of toes and elbows
kept warm for a few minutes longer