Packing

I was inspired today. I saw a trailer for a movie called Up In The Air, and it made me think. So here is a poem I came up with, it's a little rough but let me know what you think. Thoughts, comments, concerns, all these things are open topics.

Packing by Kelly Brewer

I ask myself ‘How much does my life weigh?”
Is it a mere ounce or maybe a ton or two
I wonder what my life will amount to in the end
Will my life only be the things that lie on my shelves?
The books I read, my music, my favorite movie

My job, my clothes, maybe the apartment I move into
Only the objects that I seem to own
But then I realize, I cannot own anything
Ownership is an idea that we cling to
I realize that I fear not death itself
But I fear I will leave nothing behind
My imprint on this earth will not last, I know this
My thoughts, my ideas, my emotions and worries
Are just air, they linger but no one can touch them
I ask myself, if I could pack everything into a bag
What would I pack? Where would I start?
What do I pack first?
I start with the small things that I supposedly ‘own’
A CD, A film, A camera. None of these things are important
But I believe they are, because that’s what I’m told.
I realize now that in my bag I don’t need these things
So what do I pack?
I place all my troubles and my so called demons
These things are heavy and they are deep
Can you imagine weighing these things?
How much does your baggage weigh?
I place people in this bag, those that I love
I cannot own people, I cannot weigh friendships
I cannot weigh relationships or love
If you could place anything into a bag,
What would you bring? What is important?
I move slowly through life, I fear that death with come fast
When I go, what will I have packed?

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"Make no mistake your relationships are the heaviest components in your life. All those negotiations and arguments and secrets, the compromises. The slower we move the faster we die. Make no mistake, moving is living. Some animals were meant to carry each other to live symbiotically over a lifetime. Star crossed lovers, monogamous swans. We are not swans. We are sharks."
- Up In The Air