Thursday, June 17, 2010

Not for Long

In two weeks my Salt Lake self is being put to rest in the city cemetery next to that hauntingly creepy ghost story woman. Long past dusk we crept over the chain link in search of her. Never found her (even though friendly Mr. Officer found us), but I've still got time. Two weeks. Two weeks to eat my oat groats with the morning cool and the box elder bug babies and my little parsley plant on the balcony. Two weeks to smile at the sycamore trees on Michigan Avenue and dream of the day I'll have my own mini window in my front door and listen to Josh Ritter tell me how hard I am to love.

Fourteen days to hike up Emigration Canyon and be able to call it my own and visit my neighbors the three rowdy tiger cubs and run across the street to catch the shuttle to campus. I've got fourteen whole days to visit my little ducky friends at Garden Park and listen to the trees in the gully and talk to the rushing water. Sometimes it's all I need. Fourteen days to not feel so far away. I still need to partake of the Patagonia Outlet, pay Park City a visit, eat at Omar's, tour the Masonic temple, meander through my favorite corners of the Avenues, discover more secret gardens, reek of camp fire, and just be one hundred percent in the moment. Walks and talks and friends I love. I'm pretty sure this is exactly what it feels like to know you're dying.

But the downtown farmers markets will bring me back at least once a week and so will the refugees and so will you. Please promise to put flowers on my grave, and I just may come back for a day. Or three. My new home feels too far away.

6 comments:

Jon and Diana said...

But just think..in only a few days you'll be living just ten minutes away from ME and we can explore things together and you can show me the city because I will be the "new girl" in town and get lost and drive totally out of my way to get somewhere that I didn't know was so close. I'm excited...and you can still live in the moment!

Kate said...

Yay! Thanks for reminding me, Dee. That makes me VERY happy to have you so close! We will explore together. I'm trying to find out if we can get a state park pass to go to Antelope Island whenever we want! Wouldn't that be fun?

Dayna Slack said...

You write beautifully Katie. So why are you moving to Layton?

Linda said...

You have a beautifully poetic, haunting writing style. Please, for my own selfish gain, write a novel... or ten!

Cynthia said...

I love your posts. I just forget to tell you that I'm reading them :)

Kate said...

You guys are inspiring me with your comments and getting that jittery writing excitement in me. Thank you! One or ten novels coming right up.