In the middle of a move from Nebraska to Washington DC my husband and I stopped very briefly in our hometown to take a break from driving and to visit with his parents. After eating lunch in a “church turned craft brewery,” while we were out exploring and enjoying the surprisingly cool breezes that are rare on August days in this river town, my sister-in-law spotted this mailbox in the Over the Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio
The instructions told the finder to take a copy of the poem inside.
Consignment
The day dawns unfamiliar purple,
shedding darkness of the winter sky.
We will toast to a rare warmth today –
and a home to be occupied later.
I have spoken soulfully of homes –
what do they mean
on an ocean’s side,
or a looming shadow in a small town,
or the home I presently sit in
which has reinvented itself –
refuge, reception, reality, retreat.
Now shards of sunlight
break through the deepness,
puncturing what was supposed to be
a welcomed silence
after the children were gone.
We will trade in emptiness
for consecration,
and commotion of the city.
Today only the dog breaks the hush,
in his unspoken pact to protect.
In his tomorrow, and mine,
there will be many dogs and smells
to compete with my attention.
I don’t know how I will dwell,
in this new place we are making.
I feel only a heightened awareness
of someone re-purposing her life.
AJW 2/2012 – Upon signing our contract for 1419 Race Street.
What a perfect message for two people on their way to “what comes next” after 35 years in the Air Force. We too, are re-purposing our lives and moving, just the two of us…and our dog…back into a house that was teeming with family the last time we lived at that address.
As a thank you, I left one of my Instagrams tucked in their mailbox.
The following was written at the bottom of the page the poem was printed on: “This project is brought to you by Connecting in Community through Creativity, seeking to connect the everyday life to the extraordinary soul.”
My hope is that many extraordinary souls are connected through this somewhat “out of the ordinary” exchange.
To read more about this project and the author of the poem click here.
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