after Nikita Gill

The constellation Orion. Latte art. The Classics you never read. Salt Cookie ice cream from Blue Seal. The soft dough of toddler feet in your hands. Speaking of dough: warm, homemade cinnamon rolls covered in gooey icing. Text threads with college friends. Donut shops you haven’t discovered yet. Dinner table shenanigans. Glowing faces with puckered lips, hovered over birthday cakes. Birthday cakes. Wine tasting in Argentina. Double decker bus rides in London. I hear Alaska is amazing this time of year.

Driving with the windows down. Wedding dance floors. Crooked smiles. Spiritual mysteries. Undeserved grace. You’re not sure if his eyes are green or blue or grey. Sloppy kisses. The dog curled, warm at your feet. Holding hands on neighborhood walks. Finishing the Harry Potter books with the kids. Small talk with strangers. Drinks with old friends. You still haven’t found your signature karaoke song. Movies that make you laugh. Songs that make you cry. Books that make you think. Poems you wish you had written.

Pint glass perfect pours. Loons crying on the lake. News radio. Cellos, pipe organs, and baby grands. Your old tap shoes hiding in the closet. It’s been years since you went skiing. You keep saying you should go to Maui. And Peru. Playing in the backyard at dusk. Class reunions. The next great American musical. Hiking trails. Tight harmonies. Christmas morning. Ideas to question. Questions to ponder. Peace on Earth. Cherry blossoms. The belief that people can change.

// originally shared on IG on 4/27/2022, after poet Nikita Gill shared her poem, “Reasons to Live Through the Apocalypse” with The Isolation Journals, along with a prompt for readers to make their own list of reasons.

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