Dear Moon,

I know you must get many love letters. Everyone has the opportunity to see you every night, but my love for you shines even brighter than you do.

Your humility is admirable. Although you are big and bright, you reserve your beauty for when most are in their homes. Some nights you do not even reveal your full beauty. But on all nights, your beauty is reserved for those who look for it.

Your strength is inspiring. Even after the hardest of days, you show up. In the darkest nights, you put a brave face on and cast light over us all. Day in and day out, we know the moon will be there to wish us goodnight.

Your power is breathtaking. You move oceans and influence animals. My body listens to you to go to sleep, and my mind can feel when you’re shining your brightest. Without you, we would be lost. You are our guide through life.

Your solace connects me to others. I know that I am forever intertwined with everyone I love because we can both look up into the night sky and see you. I hope my love for you reaches you, and bounces back down to my people. Thank you for shining my love down to those I cannot reach.

Your permanence comforts me. When my life feels out of control, I look up and know you are one thing I can always rely on to be there. My time on Earth is short, but your time around Earth is long. Thank you for reminding me that my life is not long enough to spend time doing what doesn’t fill me with joy.

You’ve been the centerpiece of some of my most precious memories. I will always remember going onto the porch of my childhood home with my mom to look at an eclipse– “Come look outside!” I will never forget spending an evening laying in the backyard with my dad– “See the constellation to the right of the moon?” I will forever cherish sitting around campfires with my grandpa and uncle under your glow– “What a beautiful night.”

We grew up together. I made an effort to look for you and thank you for your beauty, and you never let me down. For the rest of my life, I will love you, and I know you will be there for me.

Thank you moon, for your love. As life moves faster, I promise to never stop slowing down to share a moment with you. I love you, moon.

Love always,
Laney

Dear Liberty,

As I sit in this cold, gray cell, the weight of my past presses heavily on my chest, but I can feel the flicker of hope igniting within me. Today, I write to you not just as a concept, but as a long-lost friend who I have yearned for through the darkest nights of my life. After 24 years of confinement, I am finally stepping into the light, and I want to pour my heart out to you.

When I was just a boy of 15, I made choices that led me down a path of despair. I was lost, angry, and consumed by a world I didn’t understand. I thought I could find power in my actions, but all I found was a prison cell. For years, I felt like a ghost, haunting the halls of a place that stripped me of my identity, my dreams, and my very essence. I never knew what it was like to feel the warmth of family, to hear laughter echoing through the walls of a home, or to make decisions that shaped my destiny. I was a puppet, my strings pulled by the guards who dictated every moment of my life.

But then, something changed. I began to transform, to seek redemption in the only way I knew how. I poured my heart into books, art, and reflection. I learned about responsibility, compassion, and the beauty of life outside these walls. I found solace in the thought that one day, I might be given a second chance. I never imagined that chance would come from the governor of Oregon, who saw the man I had become rather than the boy who had faltered.

Now, as I prepare to step out into a world that feels both foreign and familiar, I am overwhelmed with emotion. The thought of walking out of these gates, of breathing in the fresh air, fills me with a mixture of excitement and fear. I know that with freedom comes responsibility—a weight I am ready to bear. No longer will I be told when to eat, when to sleep, or even when I can have toilet paper. The simple act of making choices will be mine again, and I am ready to embrace that power.

I will not walk out alone, I will have the family I longed for during my youth and years of confinement. A wife and children to embrace. I have missed out on so much—birthdays, holidays, and the everyday moments that weave the fabric of a life well-lived. Yet, as I look ahead, I see a glimmer of hope. I will be able to create the kind of home I never had, filled with love, laughter, and understanding. I want to be the father who teaches his kids about the world, who guides them through their struggles, and who shows them that life is a precious gift.

Freedom, you are not just a word; you are a promise of a new beginning. You are the laughter of children, the warmth of a partner’s embrace, and the joy of making decisions that shape my life. You are the ability to choose my path, to learn from my mistakes, and to rise above the shadows of my past. I am ready to embrace you with open arms, to cherish every moment, and to honor the life that has been given back to me.

As I take my first steps into this new world, I promise to carry the lessons I learned in prison with me. I will not take my freedom for granted. I will strive to be a better man, a better husband, and a better father. I will work hard to build a life filled with purpose and meaning, and I will never forget the journey that brought me here.

So, dear Freedom, thank you for waiting for me. Thank you for believing in my transformation. I am ready to embrace you, to cherish you, and to live a life that honors the gift of liberty. I will walk out of these gates with my head held high, ready to face the world, ready to love, and ready to be truly alive.

With all my heart,

Anthony Pickens

Dearest Passport,

From the moment I held you in my hands, crisp and unstamped, I knew our love would be wild. You were my golden ticket, my secret key, my permission slip to slip away. With you tucked in my pocket, I have crossed borders, chased sunsets, and whispered in foreign tongues, knowing that no matter where I wandered, you would always bring me home.

Remember Dubai? You felt the warm, dry air as I clutched you outside the Gold Souk, breathless beneath the shimmer of treasures whispering from the walls. In Cusco, you wore the smudges of Peruvian coffee, a souvenir from the train ride where we sat shoulder to shoulder with strangers who, for a moment, felt like family. And Puerto Vallarta—oh, how the humidity curled your pages as I danced barefoot on the sand, believing, if only for a heartbeat, that life was nothing but salt water and stars.

You have endured it all—crammed into the abyss of my backpack, wedged between crumpled boarding passes, kissed by the ink of a hundred border agents who never once asked if I loved you as much as I do. And I do. Even now, as your pages fill and your cover softens with wear, I love you more. Your creases are not signs of age but of a life well-traveled, a testament to every dream chased down cobblestone streets and across oceans.

But my love, I know our time is slipping. Soon, they will replace you—strip you of your stamps, your stories, your essence. They will hand me a fresher, unmarked version of you, one that does not yet know the thrill of a departure gate or the poetry of a one-way ticket. It will be new, but it will not be you.

And so, before our journey comes to its inevitable close, let me say this: You have been my most loyal companion, my co-conspirator in adventure, my proof that I have lived. When I hold you, I hold every version of myself I have ever been—fearless, foolish, full of wonder. You are not just a booklet of paper and stamps; you are my heart, bound in navy blue, pulsing with possibility.

Yours, always,
Sami

My Dearest Muse,

You have been my love since the beginning of my time. You put your stamp on some of the earliest memories in my mind. Your presence in my life calms my soul and nourishes my existence. You always know what I need to hear, speaking the words that vibe with my inner thoughts as you take me places far away from here. You were my first Love. The only Love that has been with me since way back when. I could sit and listen to you all day as my soul gravitates, clinging to your every word. Your words have taught me about love and life while guiding me spiritually, as I’ve used you to call on God in times of need or give thanks for the many blessings I’ve received.

Back in the day, I would lie in bed listening to you all night, falling asleep with you by my side. By day, I would sit on the floor surrounded by your presence, mimicking your words as we reminisced, and I dreamed, blown away by the effect you had on me. I could dance to your words, and when life got tough, I could cry to your words. You have been with me through every turn in my life. I am so very thankful to have you as my vice. 

As the years have passed, my love for you has grown. When I wake up in the morning, I turn to you. Throughout my day, I think of you. Before I lay down at night, I am reminded of you. The sound of your words echoes in my head. What would my life be without you? This is something I never intend to find out. The silence would be too much to bear. Together, we have created the soundtrack of my life. How could I live without you, the thing that keeps me going? The place where I go to escape and find solace is with you. You are always there for me, close to my heart and embedded in my soul. Unforgettable you are. I love all versions of you, my love, my muse, my music.

Always and forever,

Me

Since I was very young
we’ve been intertwined
When I think of my first love
you’re the first that comes to mind

The way you make me feel
varies from day to day
Sometimes up, sometimes down
but always in a special way

The sound of your notes, harmonies, and tones
leave many in awe and wonder
The feeling you give is truly unmatched
Dear Music, I love you like no other

“To My One & Only” I truly thank G☀️D for you daily. If I’m honest at this stage of our relationship it’s definitely multiple times throughout my day into my night. You are magnificent. You are immaculate. You are who I aspire to be. Words can not truly describe how you make me feel, but you bring about a sense of peace and joy. I am capable of achieving anything I put my mind to. With you I will never lose, I either win or learn. You display servitude daily. It wasn’t until I wrote this letter that I even tried to imagine life without you. Complete darkness!

Bright, vibrant, beautiful, bold, brutal, loving, caring, warm, present, intentional, nurturing, honest, forgiving, safe & secure are some of the qualities and characteristics I love about you! You know every part of me, inside out. Not once have you ever judged or treated me differently. You continuously shower me with mercy and amazing grace! No one knows my secrets except you and
G☀️D! Your loyalty to G☀️D allows you to show up for me effortlessly. You are faithful in all of your ways. You are a gift and it is because of you I have favor.

The distractions of the world often interrupts our connection, reminding me that I am not worthy of you. Often times my mind gets polluted and distorts my vision. It’s then I am blinded, tricked and bamboozled into sabotaging true love. With you I have hope for the future! I love how you sit high and look low, shining on the just and the unjust. You continue to bless others no matter how much they curse you. No matter how many times I stray away, you’re always there to welcome me back with open arms. Your love is unconditional! Even when my family and friends turn their backs on me, you are there to comfort me. Thank you for being my light in darkness. Shadows do not exist without you!

Moving forward into the future I plan to be intentional about spending time with you. I love you and you complete me. Abundance is my birthright, and to gain access to my inheritance I must acknowledge you above me. I recognize I have 2 ears, 2 eyes and a mouth for a reason. I must listen when you speak. Silence is golden and your voice is so fulfilling and sweet! It is with you HUMANS can truly just BE!

You are the portal that connects the heavens and the earth. I yearn to be a reflection. Heavens tears and your radiant smile produces rainbows, reminding us that there is a G☀️D greater than us all. We are the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and because of you we will forever be connected to the creator.

You are the all seeing eye. You are the original compass. You are the bright and morning star! You are the light of the world! You are infinite and I call you S☀️N because you shine like one.

My body weight presses down upon you,
Pushing you under the water,
But you do not protest.
You do not fight back,
Although movement consumes you,
As you rock to and fro.
Seconds pass,
Turning into minutes.
Still, you move,
As I sit atop you,
Readying myself for our aqueous pas de deux,
While nearby witnesses idle by,
Paying little heed to our commingling.
I have no regrets
Being seen with you,
Mostly by water fowl near shore.
Oh, my kayak,
How I love riding the water
On top of your rotomolded plastic form.
My love for you cannot be kept secret,
Thanks to your neon lime green color
That is visible from space.
It eliminates any chance of a clandestine paddle,
When we are as one on the water.
You take such care of me,
Bravely protecting my bottom,
As you scratch and ding yours
On submerged rocks and branches.
You warn me with a metal placard
Riveted to your green skin
Of a 225 lb. max weight capacity.
Is that because of concern
That the extra pounds I carry
May result in health-related issues for me,
Like diabetes and high cholesterol?
Or is that a federally mandated requirement
For water craft to display?
I hope the former
And blush at your thoughtfulness.
When I first saw you,
Your charms were impossible to resist,
Especially your ability
To fit into my SUV
With the seats folded flat,
Saving me the cost of a roof carrier.
Always thinking of me,
Aren’t you?
You remain constantly on my mind,
As you are visible from our family room window,
Sitting idly under our pergola
That was once used for entertaining,
But now is repurposed for kayak storage,
Much to my wife’s displeasure.
What she doesn’t realize is that seeing you
Inspires me to slide my ample posterior
Into your inviting lime hull
For a workout on the river
To shed pounds like you shed water.
Well, perhaps not pounds but ounces.
Okay, would you believe one ounce,
If I paddle really hard?
That maximum weight capacity may be reached
Someday in the future.
But thanks to you, my kayak,
Not today.
I dip my paddle
And steal away across the water
With my love.

I love to dance. Ooh, honey. Let me stomp my feet and clap my hands like a flamenco dancer, using my fan as my tool to make my expression that much more grand. Let me sway my hips like a salsa dancer, embracing every curve that I own. Let me pump my chest like a hip hop dancer, expressing how strong and how hard I can go. I love to dance. I love feeling feminine and knowing that I have some hips and curves that I know how to move. And then let me have this dance of expression, telling a story, sharing a story with my body that you can only interpret if you look closely and feel deeply. I love dance. I love that dance is universal, that everybody does it, that everybody can do it, that anybody can do it. I love dance. I love that every piece of my body can tell a story and speak to my experience, and I love the freedom that dance gives me when I am freestyling in my home, dancing alone or worshiping God, hallelujah, I love to dance. I love to think I wish in my head that I could do singing in the rain and jump and have all those high kicks, but that’s okay. I’ll just do it in my head, and I’ll stick to swaying my hips. I love to dance. I love the costumes that people wear when they dance, like leotards and tights, as well as just elaborate colors, like in the Mexican hat dance, showing off their dresses and flowing with the dresses. I love a geisha who’s showing off her fan and her movement, telling a story. I love dance. It’s so beautiful. An experience. A time. A story. An art. I love dance.

My most greatest love on God’s earth is spending time with my daughter and grandkids. I’ve gone through many trials and tribulations that could complete my life span dealing with illnesses. Through it all, I’ve had the greatest moments that could never be replaced. Moments that made me completely forget about thoses ill times, as if they weren’t even there. Time with my family helps me mentally, as well as emotionally, giving me the greatest joy ever. A total display of filial affection. A feeling like no other. Never wasted. During these times, there’s no pain, no worries, because I’m protected. I’m free to have fun, feel loved and appreciated. There’s time when I’m alone dealing with the mishaps and tragedies of my life. I’m a strong individual, but I’m even stronger with the loves of my life. Thoughts of any other trails in your life, any lingering destruction waiting to happen, means nothing during precious moments. There’s no fear, only Joy. The moments are everything. We’re creating lasting memories. Everything we do is done as a whole. We’re developing adaptability, strengthening relationships beyond measures. Creating futures for lasting relationships. The true meaning of love, where no one is left behind. Love and care is continuing to be bestowed upon me. Life’s greatest blessing. Life is the most beautiful, filled with family. No bond is greater!

I love the way the Sun caresses me.

His rays extending out to touch me ever so gently,

Sometimes,

Aggressively.

Sweltering heat.

Body dripping with sweat.

I love how warm he is,

And how he makes love to my skin.

Highlighting my,

glistening melanin

In

His presence.

He compliments me.

Tells me that I’m iridescent too,

That I’m

Bright like him,

I shine like him.

He kisses my ears,

My face,

My feet,

My chest.

He kisses me all over,

Just like a man should.

He kisses me like no man could.

He tells me to take my clothes off.

He asks to see my bare skin,

Expose myself to him.

So he can turn me,

Fifty shades darker.

I love him,

His yellow hues,

His bright beam,

He makes me gleam.

He brings me joy.

He encourages me.

Tells me to keep my head up

And to look on the brighter side of things.

I call him my Mr. Bright side.

With him there’s no wasting time inside.

I’d rather be outside with him.

I’d rather see the world lit up

Than see days dim.

I prefer his Sun rays.

His way

Of

Communicating is

Clear,

Firm,

Straight to the point,

Exact.

He makes me feel HOT.

He warms my heart.

Damn I love the Sun.

I love the summer fun,

Being outside,

Sometimes shading my eyes,

Cuz of how dazzling he be.

I LOVE his Sun rays.

I love him when it rains.

They are my favorite duo.

Sun and rain,

Washing away my worries,

Shedding light on my power,

Powerful is he.

Dangerous he could be,

But

I treat him how he treats me.

I smile,

Appreciate his presence.

I lay under him without a care.

I hold him in my heart how he holds me with his heat.

I love it when we meet.

Every day is different,

Entails something new.

He helps me get a clear view.

He makes love to my skin,

Cuz he loves my skin.

Me and him kin.

Alike.

I absorb him and I’m meant to.

All types of trouble to get into when he’s around.

It’s hard to frown,

Cuz the Sun knows just how to turn one upside down.

He’s clever,

Using his beautiful full light to enchant me.

I can see the glimmers dancing,

On my,

Shea buttered skin,

Just for him.

He lights up my eyes,

Exposes the brown hue that is my hair.

With him I’m always bare.

Naked.

Cuz he sees me.

He means me

No harm.

With his charming self.

I love to have him wrapped up all over my arms.

Damn I LOVE the Sun.

It’s so much fun when we become one.

He tells me secrets,

As he,

Slips into every part of my ear.

He is peaceful.

He makes me feel at ease.

With him I don’t have to think.

Just be.

Ugh!

My favorite thing to do with him is sleep.

Chile,

He puts me to sleep.

All I need is a mat and a pillow and underneath him I won’t hear a peep.

I’m safe with him.

Wherever he is there is my protection.

An armored weapon

When he needs to be.

Don’t get too close cuz he will burn you.

Psht, he don’t play about me.

Sometimes,

He plays hide and seek,

With the clouds.

I’ll see him and the next minute he’s nowhere to be found.

But ion trip, cuz I know he’s always around.

And even if it’s cloudy I know he’ll come back around.

So he can come caress my beautiful

Brown skin,

Brown eyes,

Brown hair,

Some more.

He’s everything and more than I could have ever imagined.

He shines on me and shows me my potential.

He shows me how to be gentle,

Patient,

With myself.

I love the Sun.

So long ago our love story begun.

And I promise can’t no one,

Take our love away.

He’s here to stay.

So girl, let me let you go.

I’m finna go lay,

With my friend,

My man,

The Sun.

To the novel I’ve not yet written,

I love you.

You are the bane of my existence and the thing I cherish above all others. You have plagued me, day and night, for decades. I’m kind of sick of it, but I just can’t let you go.

You spin such wonderful stories for me, my eyes following their twisting plots and heartfelt moments, like tracking dust motes in a sunbeam. They grow and contract, take on color and then fade, reach out across continents and oceans and then re-center on a small village and its people.
You flit from genre to genre, theme to theme, and I, your hopeless and helpless author, can only scramble after you clumsily, desperate to get a better glimpse, a more solid touch. A god chasing a nymph (though maybe in a less creepy way).

You have matured with me, risen through the ranks of middle grade to YA to New Adult to Adult. You have dragged me through research binges and uncomfortable questions and exciting discoveries, all in service to what you will become.

You have sat with me as I despaired over your existence. Wondered whether or not I would even bring you into this world. Would people like you? Would I like you? Sometimes I’m not convinced. Sometimes I am sure that my brain will never get it together, will never settle enough for me to create you.

And you want so badly to simply be! To be shared and laughed over and cried over and loved, because as much as I love you my love will never be enough. It can never be enough. My love will breathe life into you, but it will not sustain you.

So, like many things that are loved, I will eventually have to let you go. To hold on to you, tucked safely away in my mind from the claws of criticism and rejection, the banality of querying and paperwork, is a disservice to you. You don’t care about those things. And I love you too much to shackle them to you.

But not quite yet. I trust you, implicitly, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t terrified. Loving you enough to release you is, by far, the hardest thing I have ever had to endure. Let me be selfish for a little longer, please?

All my Love,

Your author.

P.S. Please tell your sequel that they have to wait their turn. I cannot let them leave the nest if they are not even out of the egg yet.

Dear my something,

Growing up I had no idea you would mean as much to me as you do now. You were always there for me, but for some reason I always seemed to wave you off. I remember learning about you from grade school when I was saying words out loud that I couldn’t even spell yet. Storytelling has been a huge part of me, maybe because as a child my parents would read my brothers and I stories before we fell asleep. Those stories opened up my mind to explore things, it gave me new ideas, it enhanced my thinking, with that I began thinking out of the box. It wasn’t until middle school that I was given an assignment. The assignment was to pick any anime and tell the story through those anime eyes about a particular part of history. During that assignment, I allowed my imagination the freedom it was begging for. As I went on to do the assignment, something came over me. I was enjoying it, I enjoyed it more than basketball at the time. For years you have been by my side, for years you have been my go to. My mother brought me diaries as a young girl, even back then, years ago, you were there. When I assumed you were only here because it was something that was taught to me as a kid, but you made it so I would need you even when I did not know I would need you. I thought my love for basketball would get me to where I wanted to be, you stood there waiting patiently for me to pick you up. When basketball broke my heart and I had no one to talk to about it, you were there, you allowed me to pour out my most inner and deeper thoughts to you with no judgements. You have helped me through my darkest days and cheered me on through my happinest. You never complained about me venting to you about the same issue over and over again, the issue I, myself was constantly putting myself in. Day and night you laid on my nightstand waiting for me to get home, just so I could tell you about my day and the eventures I encountered. There you were, never jealous, always ready to be a listening ear, along with a caring friend when I was friendless. When I abandoned you when I finally made friends, you stood tall and watched over me. That time I lost those same friends, you were there welcoming me back with open arms. It was at that moment that I realized that I loved you. Some may say you are a rebound because I kept coming back to you whenever life failed me, but me, I see more than that. I see something that made a decision to never give up on me. I see something that watched me grow up from a little girl to a beautiful young lady. I see something that is patient and not judgemental. What I’m trying to say is, ink pen and paper I love you.

The serendipity of the fiber arts
I feel serenity when I pick up a hook
Crocheting to feel bliss
To feel like there is control in my messy world

A world in which I suffer on the daily,
Becomes joyous with a new project
Bags, blankets, scarves
The rectangular shapes appeal to me
As a way of comfort,
Often missed in my life

To abandon my hooks would be to disparage myself
Malign the progress and change in my life
The one constant that involves this daily
As to not become melancholicly repetitive

I believe there is love in my yarn
Unraveling, winding and working
All worked by hand, handmade with care in every thread

History woven and set in yarn
Here speaks past voices of the gifted
The activism, the fashion, and the unprecedented
Elating to those in this community
The lovers of the yarn,
Trying to make the world a more tight knit place

To make a mark with ones brushstrokes
Is to hook and twist around
Twisting over or under
Front side or back side
I see the history being made,
One stich at a time

Stiching by hook
I weave in the ends of me
To be as one with my livelihood,
My soul, belongs to crochet

Can I love the way that you linger on my tongue

Sweeter than any maple drizzle

More resonating than the most passionate kiss

But don’t tell, and don’t be mad

Passion is another feeling, yes, but I mention it as an act, a behavior

Not like you

In your own right, you are a “feeling” with a voice

And unique to any other feeling, you are logical, which makes your voice all the more loud

You, a feeling, a process that gives me peace

And cleanses me from the abhorrent

I like you, Reason

You always compliment me so well

And when you leave my tongue, you are hard for certain audiences to ignore, or reject

You are derived from the most knowledgeable parts of my mind

Making you one of the strongest parts of me

You keep me sane, you keep me gratified

That is why I love you

To the House with Purple Shutters,

I’m parked on the street beside you as I write this. My God, it’s been years since I saw you last. You have changed so much, while yet somehow you look exactly the same. You still have that tree my brother and I loved to climb in your backyard. I can see the smoke rising from your chimney, signaling there’s a fire burning in your old wood-powered fireplace. They sure don’t make them like that anymore. And they sure could never make another you. 

I continue to drink in your features and commit you to memory as I notice your shutters, once painted a vibrant shade of purple, are now painted black. The irony isn’t lost on me. It feels like a symbol that you have moved on and now all I get to do is mourn the you I once knew.

There’s a strange, small woman holding a watering can walking unhurriedly around your yard. She stops every so often to water some newly planted flowers. You used to have the most beautiful gardens. I swore yours bloomed more beautifully than anywhere else in the world. My grandmother tended so meticulously to them. I am glad to know your new partner is also quite the anthophile. She looks so content. And so do you.

As I watch her with some semblance of joy in my chest, I can’t help but feel my mind wander. Does she know about us? I wonder if she knows about the time we spent in your kitchen baking peanut butter cookies from scratch or of the double-decker peanut butter and jelly sandwiches my grandmother would make us for breakfast before we would watch one of the shows she and my grandfather had recorded in the living room. It was usually Walker, Texas Ranger. You remeber the one with Chuck Norris in his prime? We thought it was the coolest.

I wonder if, when it’s quiet, she can hear the echoes of my grandmother’s sweet voice as she sang all her favorite songs while washing the dishes. Or if she knows any of the words from Maya Angelou’s poem “Phenomenal Woman” like my grandmother had committed to memory. I like to imagine that at night, if she listens closely, she will be able to hear the stories grandmother would tell us about the adventures she and my grandfather got to take when they finally retired and got to travel the world. Man, there sure were a lot of them.

I wonder if she knows that a few years ago we had to scatter my grandmother’s ashes right there in your backyard. And then grandfather’s too, a few years after that. It was one of the hardest days you and I ever spent together. My grandmother always said she didn’t want to be parted from you. Her magic was meant to stay and grow right there in your gardens. The ones the new woman is now tending to with a sense of peace about her. 

I think back to our last day together.  I remember the stark duality of feeling immense heartbreak and devastation mixed with endless endearment and adoration for all of the joy you have given me over the years. I didn’t have the words then to tell you what you meant to me or the stomach to say goodbye. But looking at you now, I do. I will never be able to thank you enough for all of the joy you have brought into my life or all the ways you shaped me into the person I am today. The impact you have had on me is immeasurable. Even if my feet may never return to your front door, you will always remain one of my most treasured places.

 The place I could escape to as a child and get whisked away by the overwhelming sense of adventure and magic. The place I can turn to as an adult that makes me feel closer to my grandmother on the days where I feel her absence so deep in my bones it makes me tremble. The place that gave my brother and I so many invaluable memories together that we seem to treasure so much more now that we are older and don’t get to see each other as often. Our time together may be over, but the love we share is so deeply rooted it could never be severed by the hands of time, distance, or any inevitable change.  I’ll remember your gardens every spring and the smell of fire in your wood-burning fireplace every winter. In all of life’s seasons, I will remember you as the house with purple shutters.

All my love,

Your Flower In Bloom

To my long-lost pillow, I love you so dearly,
it crushed me to learn I lost you so clearly.
You stayed by my side for more years than I remember,
I treated you like my own family member.
A gift from my sister one cold Christmas Day,
I discovered memory foam is the only way.
I’m impressed you still held the perfect shape,
always cradling my head right at my nape.
You followed me wherever I went,
from Hawaii to Alaska, in my suitcase you were sent.
I couldn’t bear to sleep without you,
for I always felt comforted, even in some place new.
Unexpectedly, on a road trip you were lost,
I had to repack the car but was it worth the cost?
You meant the world to me,
now my bed is empty and you were set free.
Does anyone love their pillow so much?
I suppose it’s good to free myself from a crutch.
My new pillow will never replace you,
for you are the truest of true.
While I’m grateful for all the years we had together,
now, in my memory, you’ll be my treasure.
I love you, my cherished pillow,
I’ll think of you when I see the dreamy willow.
Style Score: 100%