The Paddock Review

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A Poem by Riley P. Murdock

toy story

once you learn your playthings are people

you start to understand them.

you’ll wonder how that bionicle you couldn’t wait for feels

now that you haven’t seen it in a decade.

you’ll find yourself in the socks at the back of the drawer,

you’ll feel for the tupperwares and bowls

that stay at the bottom of the stack

looking up while the ones at the top get picked

over and over

who are you to leave them alone like this?

who are you to act like you never knew them?

you know the golden rule.

you know you would shrivel if you were the last apple left,

picked up and turned over and prodded, each suitor

finding each bruise and soft spot, every crater

knowing another, less-flawed, was next door

….

This poem is from the book lowercase aesthetic by Riley P. Murdock (Finishing Line Press), and is available at https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/lowercase-aesthetic-by-riley-p-murdock/

lowercase aesthetic contemplates the attachments we form to our sorrows and the messy paths we take to move on from them. Its #poems center on triumphs and tragedies both universal and deeply personal, such as the struggles of living with #ADHD, the profound loss of beloved pets, and the pain of longing for a distant partner — even if they’re only gone for the evening. Bouncing from sarcastic humor to existential angst and everything in between, love sprouts through the book even in its most cynical moments.

Riley Murdock is a reporter working from home in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Riley graduated from Michigan State University in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, and started working full-time in Saginaw later that year. Writing for a living makes it harder to write for fun, but poetry helps him stay grounded and process a never-stopping, ever-changing world. He has slowly learned to find inspiration in joy.