Breath & Shadow

August 2026 - Vol. 23, Issue 4

"Paper Bags"

written by

G.W. Reid

I have learnt sometimes it’s best to be apart

From people who keep broken hearts

In paper bags of hopes and dreams

Popped balloons and broken strings

The bag will rip and out they fall

Cherished things that stain the floor

All those long unspoken bits

And rotten pieces of past events

A tragedy in all but name

These paper bags that hold our pain

G.W. Reid is a poet, lyricist and writer living in Australia. Once a professional puppeteer and musician, he is now bedridden on a bed he suspects is possessed. He believes the only way to free his bed is with an unraveling exorcism of poetry and music emanating from somewhere in the melody of his six string heart. Wish him luck.

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