An Omen of Paper and Birds
With an interlude
I found a folded up piece of paper in the book I picked up to read before dinner — Gallant by V.E. Schwab, in case you’re wondering. It’s a list titled, “obsessions & design(?)”
It looks like a writing prompt exercise, as it’s filled with my favorite motifs, symbols, authors, movies, activities, and so on. Some of my favorites that still stand out are siblings, aunts, magic, the moon & stars, names & naming, found family, lighthouses, coffee, worlds within worlds, Agatha Christie, and secret gardens.
Somehow, my list of obsessions finds it’s way into every journal with many of the same things, plus whatever hyperfixation I have at the time. I do wonder which journal I ripped this one out of. And why I tucked it in my book. Also, I’m fairly certain that I did that this same time last year. (Also, I still haven’t finished Gallant. Not because it’s not brilliant, but because some books aren’t meant to be read until you’re ready. I think I might be now.)
Speaking of time, in one minute, my evening alarm (ah, there it is) will go off. It’s to remind me to go inside and be an additional support for the Kiddo for the evening shift. I’ll go inside and finish this later.
Interlude ~ A Day Later
I really did mean to come back to finish this after dinner on Friday night, but then got delayed by extra Kiddo snuggles, then had to make (okay, warm up) my own dinner because I was craving a leftover burger instead of soup. And by the time I got back to my camper, I was tired and just climbed into bed to watch The Addams Family TV show.
Now on to the rest of this letter.
I’ve been haunted by birds lately.
In books I’m reading, in art that shows up on Instagram, in movies I’m watching, in song lyrics that play in the background. Mostly the corvid family of birds: magpies, ravens, crows. But also kestrels and rooks and shrikes. It’s so bizarre.
The two books I’m reading are Of the Stars by A.M. Alcedo and A Constellation of Ghosts: A Speculative Memoir with Ravens by Laraine Herring.
Of the Stars is a queer contemporary fantasy (coming out on September 15th) that deals with grief and trauma and centers on a deeply gorgeous platonic relationship between two deeply traumatized people. Bird imagery, character names, and metaphors fill this book. It’s so good.
A Constellation of Ghosts is a genre blending book in which the author’s dead father comes to her as a Raven and they talk and face their traumas and grief together. I’m not too far into it, but I’ve already been brought to tears several times.
After I finish these books, I think I will have new topics to add to my obsessions list.
Now that I have thoroughly written the letter I intended, before I go work on my Secret Writing Experiment, I want to share this digital collage art I made when I realized I was being haunted by birds.
Until next time,
A
CREEPY!!
I would love to read that first book, I think. or both of them.