50x365 #366 (Because It Is A Leap Year): The Palinode

You are the place where I begin, where each journey pulls me out and back again in a circumnavigation of arcs defined by our continual point of return. You are the defining compass, the home I follow; you are my lodestone, my milestone, my signpost. You describe the measured distance.

I am a participant in x365 and Blog 365.

50x365 #365: Janet

While you went through chemotherapy, you didn't talk about it much, but one night during a party, you took me to your bedroom and pulled a shoebox out from under the bed.

I'm keeping the hair I lose in here, you whispered, as you lifted the lid and pointed inside.

I am a participant in x365 and Blog 365.

50x365 #364: Paige

When we first met, you told me that you'd grown leery of new people since a friend had recently stalked you. We instantly bonded, because I'd been stalked by her, too. We both felt less crazy with the confirmation that platonic stalking is real and that we were not alone.

I am a participant in x365 and Blog 365.

50x365 #363: Nathan

I was supposed to babysit you, but I freaked out and canceled. I wasn't sure why, but I just couldn't make myself do it. Later, I heard that your brother had completely severed your finger in a slammed door that night. Years later, you showed me that it'd grown back.

I am a participant in x365 and Blog 365.

50x365 #362: Marilyn

I poked my head into your sons' room to see if I could snag a cigarette and saw MY SONS ARE DRUGGIES AND LIARS AND THIEVES / HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY printed large and bold on the wall in blue crayon. I guess Mother's Day was not your favourite day that year.

I am a participant in x365 and Blog 365.