Our lives happen between the memorable.

KristinaTea.jpg
Watercolor by my dear friend Kristina Closs (WoodPigeon on Etsy)

“Highlights and Interstices”

by Jack Gilbert (1925-2012)

We think of lifetimes as mostly the exceptional
and sorrows. Marriage we remember as the children,
vacations, and emergencies. The uncommon parts.
But the best is often when nothing is happening.
The way a mother picks up the child almost without
noticing and carries her across Waller Street
while talking with the other woman. What if she
could keep all of that? Our lives happen between
the memorable. I have lost two thousand habitual
breakfasts with Michiko. What I miss most about
her is that commonplace I can no longer remember.

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One thought on “Our lives happen between the memorable.

  1. I really loved this poem!

    On Wed, Apr 29, 2020 at 7:03 AM live in the layers wrote:

    > Natalie Jabbar posted: ” “Highlights and Interstices” by Jack Gilbert > (1925-2012) We think of lifetimes as mostly the exceptional and sorrows. > Marriage we remember as the children, vacations, and emergencies. The > uncommon parts. But the best is often when nothing is happening” >

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