The Movie of My Life

The Movie of My Life Maria Martin (bio) That's me breaking away from my parentsto stomp on a mushroom that is just out of frame. Silly girl! My mother shakes her head in the camera.We are all laughing now! Cut to footage of the pavement from a shaky handheld camera. I am walking along.That's the sound of my shoelaces slapping the ground. Anticipation builds. Will I do something? Will I say something?My mother winks for the camera, a droll expression on her face. Everything I do is so darling—it's uncanny. Like watching a dogdrive a car into traffic. The crossing guard does a double take. Do you see what I'm seeing? It's like watching a little dog walk to schoolon hind legs, wearing a little dog backpack and little dog shoes. And when I speak, it's like if you trained a little dog to speak.And when I'm angry, it's funny, like dogs are funny when they don't get their way. My mother trails behind me,enchanted. She doesn't let me out of her sight. [End Page 280] Maria Martin Maria Martin is a poet living in North Charleston, SC, where she works for the city coordinating arts enrichment programs for the schools. Her poems have appeared in Poet Lore, Diagram, and elsewhere. More of her work can be found at mariasprogress.com.