things i know

there are any number of things i know. And so many of them have been passed to me from my parents, their parents and so on. The lineage that supports me is full of a rich and varied range of knowledge. I know what it means when the wind blows the clouds from the Northeast. Why the sky turned pale before a storm. That even of the darkest day, the sun will appear for just a moment at midday.I know the sound of a finch and an oriole, the wail of an owl and the cry of a hawk. I know when to plant garlic or daffodils, why we prune the roses and when. How ashes make the Iris thrive and pennies make the hydrangeas blue. I know that salt and baking soda will take up a stain from a carpet and newspaper and vinegar will make the windows sparkle. I know a dog's velvet ears and soft eyes will cheer and a walk in the woods will open the heart and clear the head.

I know that to not say the thing that hangs hard in the air is to stop time. I know that even if you want to live in the moment, tomorrow needs shape for the moment to rest easy.

There are so many things I don't know and so many things that I have already forgotten. So now I'll let you know a bit of what I remember, before it goes. I know it will. Already I see the fullness of all that I have been, known and lived to be gone- called up again in moments of quiet or when recalled by others.

So- where do I begin to give what I know to you. Much of it you've heard so many times, you wish it was never said again. But there is so much that we accept without explanation, so I will put it here for good and all, no question as to where when how or why. this is for you to discover and chew up diest or discard. But it's for you. That I am sure of.

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