lately, i've been gathering pieces of me: old words and works, sometimes scribbled inside of books, random flyers, napkins i've torn and saved in a special crate or folder. there's a lot in that "i'll get back to it" pile. so much was lost on the journey here. i need to examine my need to hold on. i know it hurt to take so much time sifting, discarding and reclassifying what's important and lose it all in storage. everything new is from this life here. it's been eleven years.
i miss the pictures of my life with my late husband, the wedding photos my daddy took, both sonogram pictures of my children, the journals (especially the ones i kept while pregnant), my daughter as a little girl, fabulous vintage gowns and furs i've painstakingly collected and the books. so many BOOKS. i've never cried about a lover as i did those books. the story of aquisition was as poignant as those books themselves. why do i mourn what i can rebuild? not in the same way, of course, but the same wonder? seems i can barely get through an entire book now. have i lost my will?
i fear my anxiety has grown with the overload of information from technology, misinformation, senseless chatter on the streets, the musiclessness and mimicry of acceptable tone. then, i'm wired to hear whispers, too. plus, the loud public confessions in my commute.
the balance of the tree outside my window: the same bird in the morning, the same squirrel in the afternoon and the possum who seems to come whenever i have found the sweet spot of peace in my (neverending) insomnia- is now gone. my neighbor had it cut down. the patterns i've relied on to counter my restlessness GONE.
this cleansing before winter is less about the physical things but my emotional way of moving. the over collection of randomness (people, places, things) has lost its thrill. i am ready to know myself thoroughly, closely, lovingly. i am unapologetically still.