As we launch our spring appeal, we want to share the poem “Two Totes” by Good Sam Executive Director Julie Bond.
“Two Totes” powerfully captures the reality many people face when entering shelter—being asked to fit an entire life into just two small containers. The poem highlights the emotional impact of loss and displacement and reminds us that a person is carrying more than their few possessions, they are also carrying their memories, grief, dreams, and hope for a fresh start.
Two Totes
They say I can only have two totes to
store my things at the shelter.
How can two totes carry all that I am?
I may be neat as a pin or messy as a
sandstorm—2 totes will contain
neither way of being.
How can two totes contain all that I
have come from?
This anchor I need to stay grounded
to this earth will not fit in this 2×4 space.
The memories alone take up dozens
of storage units across space and time.
How can two totes contain all that I
hope for in the future?
Where can my complexity be
stored?
I’ll try to stuff away my grief in
this corner.
I’ll fold my dreams and lay them
flat on top.
I am gathering items for my
future apartment—these steak
knives and utensils are for my
new kitchen someday.
Yet the knives must be locked up
for safety.
The yoke around my neck will
not fit in this plastic box at night. I’ll
just keep wearing it so it
doesn’t count towards my two totes.
Belongings, trash, treasure…
This picture frame is broken, but
the photo within the glass is of
me and my beloved, who is no
longer with me.
Lost are
my albums
my birth certificate
my IDs.
Begin again from nothing, but
don’t accumulate.
How can I take up space without
taking up space?