Aaltoe’s Blog

Surrounded by things
And by what their memory brings
Opens vistas
Conjures images
And resonant rings

That construct and deconstruct the past
In ways that leave one aghast
At the variety of selves
And their accompanying narratives
That seek to last.

Which will it be
Indeed how do you foresee
The self that treasures the best
Of what has gone before
And still is the “me”

That has grown to be able
To turn the table
On expectations that limit
The scope and power
Of the new fable

That constitutes my life.

Opening the door
Fresh air on my face
Something pulls me out
But pauses as the sky and the ground
Present themselves.
Down the porch stairs
Each step into new territory
With different limits
Different foci.
Movement of the eyes, head and body
Become involuntary, exploratory
Prompted by sounds, smells, movement.
The yard seems familiar
But at the same time not.
Seeing old things in new ways
New things in old ways
Forgetting old paths of movement
Following a new meander
Shaped by accident and intention
The scene unfolds
Affording what I could not possibly have foreseen:
Exhilarating delight.

When she heard of Lynn’s passing
Sue Speers imagined
That her late husband Guthrie,
Preacher, and both dear friends,
Might have said,
“Free at last.”
Her body had held her back.
She tolerated it with such grace
And never let others feel its limits
That would have been an imposition.
These later moments
Allowed another phase of her life to emerge.
Her pleasure, when being
Decorated by Erika or
Smiling with Zoë,
Was transparent.
There was no regret.
Mutual love radiated.
Her pleasure seemed even more pure
Than it might have in previous years.
She allowed others to enter her life,
To savor the beauty of her soul…
And sense their own.