Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
I carry you with me into the world, into the smell of rain & the words that dance between people, & for me, it will always be this way, walking in the light, remembering being alive together.
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
In the heart of the world there is a place that holds the secret names of the rocks & the trees & all the children of the earth & around it gather women & men who hold it dear ...
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
The secret is not in your hand or your eye or your voice. The secret is in your heart. Of course, she said, knowing that doesn't make it any easier.
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
She followed the sun & she followed the stars & in dreams they listened closely for the beginning of all things, for that was where they knew they'd find each other.
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
It's hardest to love the ordinary things, she said, but you get lots of opportunities to practice.
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
That night, there were storms & far away she saw purple lightning & someone left the window open & the room filled with a swirl of butterflies & she slipped out quietly without anyone noticing & I'm sure the grief was softer because of that.
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
Standing alone in her grief for as long as it takes to remember it is also a thing that binds us together.
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
This is a creature on fire with love, but it's still scary since most people think love only looks like one thing, instead of the whole world.
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
Filled to the brim with dangerous thoughts & nowhere to put them since she lives in a small town & everybody's always watching.
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
These knees have stories, she said, but they'd have to be a mouth to tell you.
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
Likes to smile a lot until you want her to & then she says 'Enough of that' & she thinks of other things to do.
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
O no, she said, you can't say just anything to the wind. Only the deepest secrets will do.
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
This is a bag filled with dreams & recipes for soup & she's deciding right now which she's really hungry for.
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
When I die, she said, I'm coming back as a tree with deep roots & I'll wave my leaves at the children every morning on their way to school & whisper tree songs at night in their dreams.
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
The birds brought seed & flowers & bits of brightly colored string & placed them in her hair while she slept so that she would remember the wild joy of spring when she finally awoke.
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
I've always liked the time before dawn because there's no one around to remind me who I'm supposed to be, so it's easier to remember who I am.
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
I'm on my way to the future, she said & I said, But you're just sitting there listening & she smiled & said, It's harder than you'd think with all the noise everyone else is making.
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
I wish you could have been there for the sun & the rain & the long, hard hills. For the sound of a thousand conversations scattered along the road. For the people laughing & crying & remembering at the end. But, mainly, I wish you could have been there.
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
This is a box filled with the sorrow of all the people who have been forgotten & some day it will wash the world clean.
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
This is a machine that's supposed to make people good & true & kind & the funny thing is that it works best when it's completely broken down so everyone has to stop what they're doing & get together & figure out how to fix it.
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
For a long time, she flew only when she thought no one else was watching.
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
They don't have very long memories, so every morning seems like a miracle.
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
Hasn't started to make sense of the world yet but thinks it's beautiful all the same.
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
Sticking her neck out because she's tired of just sitting there hoping people will notice her for her calm energy.
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
This is one of the exact centers of the universe & it's in charge of a lot of the beautiful & amazing things we'll take for granted in the future.
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
If you hold on to the handle, she said, it's easier to maintain the illusion of control. But it's more fun if you just let the wind carry you.
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
Torn between wanting to stay & wanting to go & worried it will be the wrong decision either way.
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
Convinced she can do everything she's ever dreamed of with just a little more space.
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
This only weighs a lot if you've forgotten to do the stuff you wanted to do all along.
Rebecca Tabor Armstrong:
But today I remembered the way you laughed & the heat of your hand in mine & I knew that life is more fair than we can ever imagine if we are there to live it.
