windy

but warm

skin alive with forecasted lightening

call hedgehog pine cone.

end of sixth grade party by the lake

late lilacs bow and sway

with heavy scent you know but will not find

beneath campfire smoke in sweatshirt,

towels, hair.

what’s left?

each raindrop pinning me to time and place

right pupil wide

(are you closer than 3 feet?  I cannot see you)

slit lamp examination in the dark

the answers brilliant shapes I know

I should cry but all I think of is

how far this goes beyond the range of film.

–adjective.

Just finished a quilt for a high school senior from our church. Spent a lot of time sewing stitches in, ripping stitches out, poking myself with quilting pins, and thinking.  Thinking about what what advice I could give to someone just starting college, what advice I wish someone had given me.  I considered:

the practical

• get an internship (or two or three)
• don’t be afraid to visit your professors during office hours
• fruit loops go surprisingly well with cheap beer

 
the wistful

• be careful with your heart
• appreciate every moment
• know that someday you will cry with longing when you remember endless hours of napping studying in beautiful libraries

 
even the very simple

• always respect yourself
• always be kind
• never do anything you’ll regret

 
but in the end, the only advice I can offer is

• you will make mistakes
• good friends will bandage you up when you get hurt…try to do the same for them
• know you are loved

 
That last one is the best, and I don’t even get to claim credit for it.  It’s right there on the label that goes on every quilt handed out:

May this quilt bring you comfort as it reminds you that you are loved.

Oh, and I’m serious about the fruit loops. ♥

what’s your advice?

A Cattleac.