The Baggage Claim
She grabbed her bags and headed to the airport for her flight,
“If all goes well,” she thought, “I should be there by 10 tonight!”
“Just think ... a million miles away from all that troubles me.”
Sweet “Adios”, “Arrivederci”, “See Ya” ... finally!
The cabbie opened up his trunk and heaved out all her stuff,
He gave a grunt, and said “That’s it! You sure you got enough!?”
He seemed a bit sarcastic, but he got a hefty tip,
And off she went with three big bags to check-in for her trip.
The place was packed with people, but she found the proper spot,
She dragged her heavy bags along (they weighed an awful lot!)
She shuffled up the lengthy line, until she heard them say,
“You’re next young lady. Bring your bags. Let’s get you on your way.”
She lugged her baggage up, with no intention for debate,
She heaved them on the scale (a little worried at the weight),
The handler laughed, and read the load, “Two hundred pounds I fear.”
“That’s WAY beyond your limit. Nope, we can’t have that my dear!”
She looked at him, a bit perplexed, “I’m not sure what to do?”
He said, “Well I suggest you TOSS some things. It’s up to you!”
“It’s not that easy,” she replied, “That’s all a part of me.”
“Wherever I go, so do those.” - “Oh Yah?” he smiled ... “Let’s see!”
He grabbed the biggest bag she had, and opened it up wide,
She felt embarrassed, (mortified), at what he found inside.
“Well looky here,” he said, as if he’d seen it all before ...
A ton of bricks came tumbling out and landed on the floor!
Each brick was neatly labeled with an attribute or trait,
A testament to all the troubles she had on her plate.
The baggage guy said, “Lady, that’s a LOT to lug around.”
“Let’s see what you’ve been carrying.” and picked one off the ground.
The first said “GRIEF”. He looked at her, a question in his eyes,
“I lost my dog.” she sighed, “And I am NOT good at goodbyes.”
The next brick boasted “FAILURE”, then a “LACK OF SELF-ESTEEM”,
“I lost a contract at my job ... I blew it for the team.”
The forth and fifth and sixth said “GUILT”, he looked at her and frowned,
“Now THAT’S a lot of guilt for anyone to lug around!”
She said, “Well that’s my specialty ... I’ve honed it pretty well.”
“Too many things to list for that, as you can likely tell.”
The seventh one said, “ANGER”, followed closely by a few,
“RESENTMENT”, “FEAR” and “DISAPPOINTMENT”, made their big debut;
He looked at her, and raised his brow. She sighed ... “It’s just divorce.”
“I’ve tried to let those go, but they refuse to run their course.”
“REJECTION”, “TRUST”, and “BITTERNESS” all came out in a row,
“UNWORTHY” and “ANXIETY” both followed them in tow.
“It seems,” he said, “Those shoulders need to lighten up a bit.”
“I know you’re right,” she sighed, “They’re hard to carry, I’ll admit.”
He said, “It’s time to let these go, you simply aren’t that strong.”
“The trip would be a total waste if you brought those along.”
“By carrying this heavy stuff, you have no room for fun,”
“You may as well just turn around before your trip’s begun!”
“You need to set some limits, try to deal with what’s inside.”
“Then say goodbye to all that crap, and just enjoy the ride!”
She thought about the words he said, and knew that he was right.
She had to come to grips with all this mess before the flight.
She started tossing bricks away, first two, then three, then four ...
With every brick she threw away, she felt her spirits soar!
She kept a couple back, she’d need a bit more time for those,
A few small pounds to carry wasn’t too bad she supposed.
She pared it down to one small bag – the handler checked the weight,
“Now THAT’S a whole lot better Ma’am ... Let’s check you in – You’re late!”
She thanked the man for his advice, and ran to catch her plane,
She took her seat and played out what had happened in her brain.
She pondered all the things she’d tossed that made her feel so free,
She felt so light she almost flew “herself” across the sea.
The stewardess said, “Folks, we hope that you enjoyed your flight.”
“Now don’t forget to get your bags before you leave tonight.”
The baggage claim was bustling, all the carrousel’s were full,
With all the baggage that her fellow travelers had to pull.
She waited for the one small bag that she had not let go,
The last remaining bricks that she would carry to and fro.
She spied it on the carrousel, but when it came around,
She kept her place - she didn’t move - she didn’t make a sound.
She watched it circle several times. She didn’t seem to care ...
She turned her back. She stood up tall ... and left her troubles there.