By Roxie
This life of mine is related
Through knick-knack and song
Titles on the spines; cast in varying print and lined in descending order
Ceramic animals caught in posed accents on a shelf
These are things; but they are beacons
Pulsing through the midst; calling my wandering self
I need these seemingly benign things
For some days, this world can be distant and unfamiliar
Some days, I am lost
I wake from the vastness of my mind and don’t know which way to turn
The comforts of creatures are familial like amber faded photos
True through the definition of stories and distant as the deceased
My muscle memory suggests routine yet I sit still
Unable to confidently decipher complacency from security
A swath of pleasure in the paralysis; I purposefully gage the weight before entering
I know this life; it is a good life
But I cannot be sure that it is mine
Perpetual skepticism
A necessary, voluntary amnesia
I need this; the sensation of definition; the eagerness of a blank page
Awaiting my mark; a singular charcoal line to ignite the branches of being
I lose myself because I need to know
I need to clear a path to recognition
I wander my mind shedding the world like the veils of Salome
Un-tethered, lost and free
When I wake. Blank.
I listen. I feel. Then I look.
I hear light notes and sprinkling water; my seed sings in her morning shower
I smile to myself; I made that and my pride is overwhelming
My eyes focus; the blinds cascade lines of sunshine
Underscoring the menagerie of memories adorning my walls and room
Posters, drawings, yesterday’s clothes, post-it notes and laundry needing a home
This is my life
I went to that show; I wore that shirt; I framed that art and tasked myself in writing
I recognize myself and I breath a new day
A knick-knack and a song; A curated reflection of me
I have surrounded myself with myself for I am my own best navigator

Roxie
ponders from a tenured state of flux and writes as compulsion; a deeply satisfying and necessary exorcism of random and floating free- form perspectives. She has stationed herself in Lawrence, Kansas as a mother, partner, friend, mentor and novelty-seeker with a passion for authentic conversations over handmade food, high-intensity physical activity resulting in equally high levels of sweet-sweet sweat, and creatively conjuring her next inspiration.