SAPLING #45 — Reflection
‘Do you recall how…’ That’s all he manages.
She nods. The sky had exactly this color, the day he is talking about.
You have to reflect upon life, it is said. Put things into perspective before it’s too late.
And of course they know they are getting older. They don’t need to look at their marbled hands, the veined and spotted landscapes etched by time growing ever more distinct. They can feel it in every single step, and in the ever-growing weight of seasons they shoulder.
You have to learn to live with grief, it is said. Accommodate it.
But the only thing they have learned, is that grief won’t settle, whatever accommodation they provide for it, no matter how many times they rearrange the furniture. Better to carry it with them, so at least they won’t trip over it unawares.
You have to be happy with what you have, it is said. Count your blessings.
And that’s what they try to do, even if their life is a deserted palace with empty, echo-filled halls, far too large for the two of them. They inhabit it nonetheless, with the memory of children’s voices for only source of warmth.
‘Do you remember how he…’ That’s all he manages.
She nods.
That, too, she remembers.
The SAPLING series is a joint project with artist and illustrator Jurgen Walschot.
Saplings are creative sprouts. I will write to the images, he will draw to the words.
