lenten journal: handle with care

Ginger and I spent most of the day today at my parents’ house going through things and identifying stuff we want as they prepare to move from their house where they have lived for thirteen years, to a much smaller apartment. The journey through boxes, shelves, cabinets, and closets was a roller coaster of discovery and memory, and a chance to tell stories. One of the surprises was this old blue suitcase, which I found in the closet under the stairs and remember using when I was very young; inside were quilts my dad’s grandmother made out of his mother’s dresses. His mother died soon after he was born.

And that was just one of the surprises.

pokea kwa utaratibu
(handle with care)

in the closet under
the stairs of your heart
is an old blue suitcase
even though you are
in the middle of moving
the idea of more baggage
is never appealing
still you set it down
snap the silver locks
and lift the lid
to find hand stitched
quilts made of dresses
your grandmother
might have worn
to visit had you ever
had the chance to meet
you take the blanket
out of the baggage
and wrap it around
your shoulders
pulling it up over
your nose to smell
for even a trace of
what might have been
or what is to come
and then you fold it
and put it back
close the suitcase
and try to prepare
for the next journey
to say goodbye

Peace,
Milton