WORD DANCE
the words dance from
the ends of my fingers
quiet but for the
scratching of pen on paper
silent forever if
spoken aloud too soon
stopped between brain
and hand
by a barrier of noise
so loud the heart can’t hear
for
the heart is where the words begin their dance
~FK~
I
have shoe boxes full of old photos and a computer full of newer ones that have
been waiting to be organized for years.
I also have bits and pieces of family stories in notebooks, on scraps of
paper, and in my head.
With
mother's death, in December, it dawned on me that I am now the only one left
that can identify most of the people in the photos or tell the old family
stories. It was finally the
...SOMEDAY...I was going to write it all
down for my children and grandchildren.
I
had already decided to take a year off from making and selling art because of a
series of family events in 2012...a new baby, a
retirement, two graduations and a wedding.
Getting family albums made and stories written seemed like a good way to
keep my creative mind active while I took that break. However, I underestimated
how much work it would be. The year is
already half over and I still have a long way to go.
I
know keeping photos on the computer or online is easier and less time consuming
but to me there is something about holding a book in my hands that is so much
more satisfying even though I understand, now, it will take more than a year to
get them all finished. And going through
the pictures and writing down the stories is not only fun it has sparked many
new ideas for art projects.
AT
THE END OF THE DAY... I know spending too much time being nostalgic is one sign
of growing old...but I like having the memories someplace besides in my head
where I can leaf through them once in a while...and when I'm gone so can my
family.
