“Pop Pop Pop Pop POPPOP Pop pop POP POP POP pop” – I wake to the sound of gunfire. 6:30am. On a holiday. Shoot me in the head. Nevermind. Don’t. Just stop shooting those doves in the field on the other side of my Daddy’s woods.
“Swish Swish Swish” – 14 month old little knees chasing a “baw” around the room.
“One time when she was just a little girl, she came over and said, ‘Granny, Here’s my dog. You have to watch him while I go play in the play room. See? I put him right here.’ and she points at the floor, at her imaginary dog.” “She used to stand up in the back pew of the church and sing at the top of her lungs. The whole church could hear her. And the words were almost always wrong.” – The chatter of my grandmothers, swapping stories of my childhood, while I dutifully dried the dishes. Silence from my mother, who would not come to my defense.
“Mama, can Aunt Mandy come stay at our house? She can sleep at our house and play with me.” “Where’s she gonna sleep, Davis?” “She can sleep in my bed.” – He doesn’t see me in the doorway listening while his mama ties up his little boy shoes. This three year old has the ability to break my heart in five seconds flat.
“PSSSHHHHHHHH Splash Splash Splash” – After he hugs me goodbye and tells me that he loves me, I have to find an excuse to walk away. I escape to the kitchen and pretend to wash my hands, blinking back the tears and counting the days until I can move back home and be a part of that little boy world…
These are the sounds of my Thanksgiving.
What did your Thanksgiving sound like? Did you stop to listen?
