Zinnias.
Sunlight in the front hall that only slides it’s way through the window at certain times of year. This sliver of light is a reminder to me here in this small house that the universe is large and the earth turns. Larger things are happening as I let Calley out, slide on shoes and walk down the driveway to pick up the paper.
I’ll miss the seasons. The abundance of fall when raspberries weigh down each branch on the snarly bush. I stuff my mouth feeling each one will be the last as frost hovers on the horizon. All this bounty will be killed in an instant as temperatures sink below 32 F. I’ll have to wait another year for this taste so warm and resonant of a life lived loving this fruit. I remember my mother and Canada and making raspberry jam. Seeds and all.
I’ll miss the feeling of water on my body from years of splashing and kicking. I dove off the dock into the cool waters of Lake Memphremagog. I jumped into the icy waters of Penobscot Bay, shrieking from the shock of cold on the surface of my skin at first and then feeling utterly alive. I swam in quarries on Vinalhaven Island. I won’t miss that. Why do I imagine cars at the bottom and dead teenagers trapped deep down in the rock? Swimming in quarries makes me nervous because I know death comes and too soon.
I will miss lightning bugs and other mysteries of childhood. The constellations remind me of how small we are. Human on this precious orb; earth. Lucky this time to have lived in paradise. What will the next life hold? Nothing could be this good.
NOTE: I am alive and kicking, no end in sight. The title of this post was the first assignment we were given at the writing retreat this past summer in Taos. At first I was alarmed at the idea. Then I realized...it's about life. I've been using it in writing groups this fall. What will you miss? Try it!
5 comments:
I will miss you. And Ru and John.
And Susie and Ruston and Jessie.
And friends and food. And sun. And Orion.
And sounds. Crunch. Slurp. Whistle. Clock chimes. Songs....esp hymns.
More too...but that's a start.
pure poetry!
To my dear mom! Beautiful piece! I loved it, though I am not mature enough to even think about the implications of the title, so I will treat it as poetry and continue to experience life with you. It is quite a powerful prompt, and has got me thinking. Loved having you and dad at dinner last night in our little apartment! Love, c
I just came in from picking the last of the raspberries and read your blog. Despite the competition from the wasps now, picking - and sampling - raspberries is also one of the great pleasures in my life. Right up there with reading your blog.
This from Robin W. Some of you are unable to leave comments, as was the case with Robin, so you send me emails. I am including her email here.
Thanks Robin!
Tech savvy readers, Is it time for me to switch to wordpress?
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Things I'd miss... the people in my life. My children. My wife. Mornings in my own bed. Apple jelly on a perfectly toasted piece of bread.
Of course, what's not to say that will all be available on the other side... eventually.
As for Wordpress. It has it's own set of challenges, unfortunately. It does, however, allow anyone to leave comments without requiring a Google account.
Why don't you sign up for a free account and try it out by posting in both places to see how you like it? After all, you already have a username and login (since you visit my blog)so the hard part is already done!
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