a lovely break
spent with my sister, my aunt, and her 20 spiritual sisters
each incredibly accomplished
making the world better
in her own way
going from place to place
person to person
greeted warmly
welcomed in
with each interaction
we learned more about my aunt, the sister
her own stories, her own accomplishments
how she began on this path, became one of them, learned from them, grew to lead them,
now traveling with them into the next stage of their lives
putting together the people and places in her life
that have meant, and continue to mean
so much to her
she has been happy and much loved
on our last night they all sang to us
after a shared meal
gifting us with a blessing and best wishes.
—
“listen, and you will realize that we are made not from cells or from atoms. we are made from stories.”
*-mia couto
*António Emílio Leite Couto, better known as Mia Couto, is a Mozambican writer. He won the Camões Prize in 2013, the most important literary award in the Portuguese language, and the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 2014.
—
image credit: from crayon