drum beats

it's so close i can almost brush my hands against it. bittersweet end.
once these 3000 words have been written, point argued, pages printed, laptop closed, books returned, body rested-- i will breathe a sigh of relief.
then, little by little the life i have built around me this year must be packed away. box by box. shoved into a closet until i return again in september. one by one, each picture removed, each memory relived, each receipt thrown out, each sweater folded, every dust bunny chased away, and every textbook that i didn't read regretfully sold back to the bookstore for much less than i bought it.
then, the goodbyes. some are for good this year, lots of friends are graduating. what seemed like forever is now quite transient. i can almost see the end. hmmm...
and those daffodils i picked last week are wilted on my windowsill. time just marches on.

yes, but it's alright. sad goodbyes are reflections of the joy shared. there are last moments, but there are also parties, surprises, nice weather, concerts, baby showers, congratulations, celebrations, smiles, laughter, peace. dinners. dates. late night chats. and final exams, but even those are really ok.
time marches on, but not without picking up some pretty sweet things along the way. just saying.