Departure

---

Packing:
I roll pants into long, thin cylinders, fold shirts into textured stacks, and ball socks into a pile of multi-colored marbles. A variety of talisman are strategically placed; books and music, gifts from dear friends, line the bottom of my suitcase; a small vile of liquid, oils, a blend of mother and son, tucked inside a tiny, zippered pocket; a polished stone, emerald-black, a daughter's choice, dangles from a bronze mental enclosure; a silver medallion, an early birthday gift from my sister, hangs from my neck, and beaded bracelets which once adorned my mother's wrists now encircle my own; I am complete.

Unpacking:
I roll concepts, ideals, into long thin cylinders, fold definitions--wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, colleague, educator--into textured stacks, ball emotions/feelings--joy, love, sadness, disappointment, frustration, anger, disillusionment--into a pile of stone-gray marbles, and drape strategically on top, expectations. I am empty.

Departure:
With suitcase in hand, I walk through the threshold a blank page, without words, without phrases, without pargraphs, awaiting a revsion, a writing of Self.

---