On the day I learned that he died,
I made blackberry jam. The kitchen
was steamy and hot from the water bath,
and the bubbling saucepan of fruit took nearly
an hour to gel. I stood and stirred
and stirred and stood. The sweet scent
touched everything. It was gray
outside and smelled of rain, while in
the pot deepened a most beautiful darkness,
the color of sugar that comes with time.
It was an accident, of course, the kind
that makes every one of us think
we are lucky to be alive, lucky to stand
wherever we are standing, whether
it’s in line for a bus or beside the road
or in front of a chalkboard or
in the middle of the kitchen stirring
blackberry jam. How could I not fall in love
with the heat, with the color of blackberries,
how could I not fall in love with the cat
and the chatter of the girl playing dolls
and the racket of the boys throwing pillows
and even the ache in my feet. What a blessing
to be alive, to feel this awful tug
in my gut, this surge of what if,
this swell of what was, this terrible gift
of standing for hours to preserve what is sweet
as if I believe there will be a day months from now
when we will eat the sweetness and
know ourselves lucky to be alive.
Very poignant, the mixing of the death with the details of daily life. Especially appropriate with the imagery of blackberries. So glad the details of the death were washed over, as the sense of loss is still strong and the celebration of life a tribute.
Truly related to this one. Living in Oregon, the blackberries have been a huge part of my life and comfort over the years. They always make me feel glad to be alive. Lucky me to be eating them on the way home from the beach today.
Truly related to this one as I have made oh, so much blackberry jam over the years here in Oregon. Yes! Those berries make us glad to be alive indeed…..and today, lucky me, I was able to pick many on my way home from the beach. Sigh……
Yes, yes, lucky us, exactly so thank you for sharing your blackberrying with me. So wonderful to enjoy them in different states together 🙂
From: “comment-reply@wordpress.com” Reply-To: Date: Thursday, August 27, 2015 at 8:10 PM To: Rosemerry Trommer Subject: [A Hundred Falling Veils] Comment: “How It Goes On”
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