“And so I’ve grown to love the syllables in the word maybe. Today my head is full of maybes. Maybe healing is not linear. Maybe there is no one health care savior but many patient practitioners. Maybe the long haul is longer than anticipated. Maybe, a nap is in order. Maybe writing down your story helps. “
from the book, Smile by Sarah Ruhl, 2021
there is such great pleasure to be found in small details
after the rain, we contemplate the early morning fog and the lushness of the leaves and the pungent smell of the earth
in the evenings, the setting sun whispers, casting everything in a soft and golden late summer charm
she stepped quietly from the ancient taxi cab, and faced the door without a handle–pushing in softly; the smell of vanilla floated between the swells of wildflowers in cracked jugs and the soft mewing of a tiny black kitten on a crushed velvet pillow welcomed her home
there is the man with the three german shepherds–i pull my own pup away from them, passing the little free library, i see that peter rabbit is keen to be chosen by someone’s tiny curious hands and i think about my own children and how they’ve grown, and how i love them more than i could have ever imagined loving–how watching them fly away and watching them become such good and kind people has been so joyful, but there, a butterfly flits from one stem to another and its soft yellow beauty transfixes me in the moment as i stop to listen to the humming of the bees–juliet pulls on her leash and i see the grey neighborhood cat approaching, so i walk onto the uneven bricks, crossing the street near the bright purple garden, close to where i once photographed a smashed can of orange crush
sunsets on the water
friends and wine and cheese and grapes
faerie doors in the forest
paints and pencils and books and coffees
And the woman may be awestruck
And the woman may truly care
But the woman is so tired
So the woman disappears
Come in out of the darkness
Bella Donna my soul
Don’t change, baby please don’t change
from the album, Bella Donna by Stevie Nicks, 1980
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