Bonjour-Bonjour!
No matter what you’re up to on this day, I want to share 3 things, all wrapped in good wishes for loving connections!
1. Gate C22
At gate C22 in the Portland airport
a man in a broad-band leather hat kissed
a woman arriving from Orange County.
They kissed and kissed and kissed. Long after
the other passengers clicked the handles of their carry-ons
and wheeled briskly toward short-term parking,
the couple stood there, arms wrapped around each other
like he’d just staggered off the boat at Ellis Island,
like she’d been released at last from ICU, snapped
out of a coma, survived bone cancer, made it down
from Annapurna in only the clothes she was wearing.
Neither of them was young. His beard was gray.
She carried a few extra pounds you could imagine
her saying she had to lose. But they kissed lavish
kisses like the ocean in the early morning,
the way it gathers and swells, sucking
each rock under, swallowing it
again and again. We were all watching–
passengers waiting for the delayed flight
to San Jose, the stewardesses, the pilots,
the aproned woman icing Cinnabons, the man selling
sunglasses. We couldn’t look away. We could
taste the kisses crushed in our mouths.
Please read the complete poem here. And, you can find it in Ellen Bass’ beautiful collection, THE HUMAN LINE.
…
2. My essay, HAPPY MESSES, re-published over on Memoir Land. It’s a Thanksgiving love letter to all our families.
3. A playlist for you!
What might you like to share today?
Thanks for reading. I hope your day is filled with laughs.
If you missed the last few jewels… no fear! Here they are: Thanks for reading. If you missed some jewels… no fear! Here are a few: coffee cups. boobs. doors. your face. And, you can find them all here!
To stay in the loop:
Tell your people you love them, and take care of your skin! J’espere que vous avez la pêche!
Grateful for your words, both the positivity and real other emotions, and the wisdom of artists/writers you share! I love Ellen Bass and that poem. 🙏🏼💜
Happy Thanksgiving!