As the deaths of family, friends and acquaintances added up Joanne and I remarked to each other "I think we know more who have died than we know who are still alive." This would be a factor of our age because the longer one lives....... When a friend sent me the Billy Collins quote below I was reminded of the remark that passed between us.
"Last night we ended up on the couch
trying to remember
all of the friends who had died so far,
and this
morning I wrote them down
in alphabetical order
on the flip side of a shopping list
you had left on the kitchen table.
in alphabetical order
on the flip side of a shopping list
you had left on the kitchen table.
So many of
them had been swept away
as if by a hand from the sky,
it was good to recall them,
I was thinking
under the cold lights of a supermarket
as I guided a cart with a wobbly wheel
up and down the long strident aisles.
as if by a hand from the sky,
it was good to recall them,
I was thinking
under the cold lights of a supermarket
as I guided a cart with a wobbly wheel
up and down the long strident aisles.
I was on the
lookout for blueberries,
English muffins, linguini, heavy cream,
light bulbs, apples, Canadian bacon,
and whatever else was on the list,
which I managed to keep grocery side up,
English muffins, linguini, heavy cream,
light bulbs, apples, Canadian bacon,
and whatever else was on the list,
which I managed to keep grocery side up,
until I had
passed through the electric doors,
where I stopped to realize,
as I turned the list over,
that I had forgotten Terry O’Shea
as well as the bananas and the bread.
where I stopped to realize,
as I turned the list over,
that I had forgotten Terry O’Shea
as well as the bananas and the bread.
It was pouring
by then,
spilling, as they say in Ireland,
people splashing across the lot to their cars.
And that is when I set out,
walking slowly and precisely,
a soaking-wet man
bearing bags of groceries,
walking as if in a procession honoring the dead.
spilling, as they say in Ireland,
people splashing across the lot to their cars.
And that is when I set out,
walking slowly and precisely,
a soaking-wet man
bearing bags of groceries,
walking as if in a procession honoring the dead.
I felt I owed
this to Terry,
who was such a strong painter,
for almost forgetting him
and to all the others who had formed
a circle around him on the screen in my head.
who was such a strong painter,
for almost forgetting him
and to all the others who had formed
a circle around him on the screen in my head.
I was walking
more slowly now
in the presence of the compassion
the dead were extending to a comrade,
in the presence of the compassion
the dead were extending to a comrade,
plus I was in
no hurry to return
to the kitchen, where I would have to tell you
all about Terry and the bananas and the bread." Billy Collins
to the kitchen, where I would have to tell you
all about Terry and the bananas and the bread." Billy Collins
Markers happen! While I was in The Little House yesterday I came across a 'marker.' Arlington is a town near The Little House and there is a restaurant called 14/81 because Highways 14 and 81 run past it. 14/81 is one of the favorite spots to gather the family for dinner. The 'marker' was a sales slip from there dated 4/18/2016. Itemized on the receipt was "grilled shrimp," something I never would order. A quick check of the log book in The Little House revealed that Joanne and I were staying there that weekend. When we had that dinner we had no clue that in less than 2 years Joanne would be dead. It's a marker of how quickly like can change.
Takk for alt,
Al
PS. I picked my car up at the body shop in Marshall as I drove back to Minneapolis today...and they refunded the dollar they charged for the loaner. 😃
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