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August 22, 2025

Packing List Pantoum

Robert John Miller

  1. If I keep the mattress I have to leave the Accord
  2. I could fit everything important in a rented van
  3. Where I’m going I don’t need a car
  4. The Accord is sort of keeping Dad alive
  5. Almost everything important could fit in the van
  6. First I need to decide what I’m taking
  7. Dad’s Accord is sort of keeping him alive
  8. I didn’t want him to die the first time
  9. First I need to decide what I’m leaving
  10. I need to decide what leaving means losing
  11. I don’t want to lose Dad again
  12. In some cases losing can mean gaining
  13. Leaving doesn’t have to mean losing
  14. I’m going and I don’t need a car
  15. In some cases losing can mean gaining
  16. If I keep the mattress I have to leave the Accord

Robert John Miller's work has appeared in X-R-A-Y, Maudlin House, Necessary Fiction and elsewhere. More can be found at robertjohnmiller.com.