gifts blown cherry Given one at a time, each gift treasured and adored til the next one came floating my way. But now, so many all at once, continually showering me for days on end, and all of a sudden you are gone, not left, just not here, and my heart has forgotten how to beat. Like I've just returned from the Easter Show, so many show bags, and so many new toys, I don't know which gift to play with first. So inevitably I turn to old thoughts, the little weekend outside of reality too much to deal with right now. I re-read old letters, again for the nth time, let my heart bleed. Bleed some more. Wonder if you could ever give gifts like that to me. Hoping you'll maybe give me just a few more minutes outside of reality when you come home. 020722 ... tender_square who am i to pick bleached fronds from tiered skirts and send to the city compost when birds use those ribbons to make gifts of their nests? 220703 ... ovenbird My youngest child came home from camp this morning and ran upstairs saying, “wait right here!” So I stood in the kitchen and she came flying back with a large paper bag clutched to her chest. “Happy Mother’s Day!” she said, all dirty face and sweaty hair and grimy hands from her weekend in the outdoors. Her smile was huge and chocolate smeared. Inside the bag was an assortment of handmade gifts–the kind that make you want to freeze time for a moment just so you can hold onto the day when your daughter made you a card with coloured feathers glued to the front and pink plastic jewels stuck to everything and a hand painted flower pot and an orange pom-pom made of yarn and a blue daisy made from cut up toilet paper rolls and a small drawing of a cartoon squirrel and a woven bracelet and a ring made of pipe cleaners. I hugged her so hard and her body was still small against mine. “I think I made some good gifts this year!” she said later. “You definitely did!” I said. “I love them all.” But you’re the real gift my beautiful girl. I hope you know that deep in your soul. Yours is the heart that called me back from the darkness. 260510 what's it to you? who go blather from