The Art of the List

I’m a list maker.
Notebooks full. To-Do’s for writing, for work, for home. Finish reading this, fill out the form for that, clean and prep and buy a basket of candy. I break my list into columns, underline and circle and mark specific notes with a triple shot of exclamation points–!!! (For crying out loud, DO NOT FORGET THE CANDY). On occasion (on necessity), I fold the list so that the right edge meets the left edge just shy of the spirals–a crisp fold, a new space. For a sub-list, perhaps. A core list. A circumventing list. A list addressed with my favorite pen, lately a Paper Mate gel–brown, not black. Not even red. Because this list is different. This list is serious. This list, is art.

 

The Editor as Poet

Deep into edits
of stories about family,*
I am reminded why
we explore
the boxes,
the stacks of old letters,
the clippings
from news,
pages of a journal.
Every word a link
to history.
Every image a glimpse
at our past,
Hand-held.
Pieces to the puzzle.

hand holding fountain pen

“Write what should not be forgotten.” ~ Isabel Allende


* FAMILY STORIES FROM THE ATTIC: Bringing letters and archives alive through creative nonfiction, flash narratives, and poetry. An anthology edited by Christi Craig and Lisa Rivero, coming from Hidden Timber Books in 2017.