An Ode to Sandy: Three Things I Love

By Alina Povelikin

This poem was written from the perspective of Sandy. The word “sandy” itself may spark memories of your own, but I will leave it to you, reader, to figure out who Sandy truly is.

Part 1: I love you, human

I wake up
I bask in the warmth of overhead lights
I open my mouth and smile

It’s been a while.

How I long for a new day
Monday, Tuesday…
Saturday?

Dampness surrounds my water dish
But, my wish, my truest desire,
All they require
Are diligence

Though I am awake
I need a break
For time is neverending

You rise from the dead
Or rather
Your bed

I am waiting.

Hello?

You look at me
I look at you
But, alas,
Our differences are clear

Time is a wall
And I’ve seen it all

But have I?

I can’t help but wonder
Is there something more?
Do you also sit in a tank ’til 4?

I sit
I think
I sleep
I snore

Hours pass
But, alas,
Time is more than that

You leave your tank
I leave mine
And suddenly
All is divine

When I return
I come to find
The glass of my tank is ashine
Brighter than a summer’s day

A buffet
Of insects
Awaits me

Perhaps
You do not understand
Patience is a virtue
If time were finite

I love you so
So perhaps time is both
A Bridge
and
A Wall

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Part 2: I love change

My eyelids open
I have awoken
To yet another
Time-filled day

Time is all I ever see

But— wait.

A graceful melody plays
When all is interrupted

I’ve thought about me
And I’ve thought about you
But could it be I’ve misspoken?

An ominous figure stares back at me
As I stare back at it
I move my head
It copies me
I seem to provoke it

Who are you?
Who are you?

We say together.

Colorful scales
And a long pointy tail
Am I a lizard too?

I cannot say I love this creature
For it copies my every move
But the end of this monotony
Has made an interesting afternoon

What I mean to say is
When you are gone
I am fond
Of change.

Part 3: I love hope

I am alone
In the only home
I’ve ever known

Someday, though,
With diligence
I’ll make it to
The mountains

A picture-perfect desert
Lies behind me now
Never changing
Day or night
A familiar little sight

I bathe in time
I sleep in time
I eat in time

Time is all I ever see
But could it be
There’s something more?

A never changing backdrop
Sits still as
Well,
Time.

As much as time is stopping me
From making it to the mountains
Perhaps they are united

Perhaps
I’ll look
Beyond.

Process

My older sister has been in love with lizards and everything herpetology-related for as long as I can remember. Accordingly, there was always some kind of exotic animal around our household. First came Rocky the lizard, the 8 anoles, the 3 fire-bellied toads, then Chestnut the snake, and finally, Sandy. My sister is now in Florida chasing her lizard-filled dreams, while I remain in the city, looking after Sandy.

When I first joined Girls Write Now, my mentor encouraged me to enter several writing contests. In our first few pair sessions, I set a goal to involve myself more in the poetry realm of writing. Soon after, I found a Scholastic poetry contest and decided to give it a shot. Taking inspiration from my observations of Sandy throughout the past couple of years, I managed to create ‘An ode to Sandy: Three things I love.’ I started in a prose-like format, as I was initially uncertain of how to even begin the poem. Eventually, though, my words flowed freely onto the page in a charming little rhythm. Ultimately, I found myself in a Girls Write Now editing session, and, after a couple of minor changes, I am excited to finally share Sandy’s perspective on time with the world.