dear future me...

Dear FutureMe, Today you went on a long walk at lunch, on the first truly sunny and warm day of Spring. The water was sparkling and beautiful, and though it glared in your eyes and your shins ached, you were happy and your body was happy to be moving. Today you are twenty-four years old, living on Highland Avenue in Somerville, with Kirk (the love of your life) and your two cats, Milou and Pippa. Today you were laughing at work with CeCe and Liz and making fun of the America's Next Top Model application. Kirk is working late at the Rigoletto show. You have money in the bank and you want to go to Target to buy things, something, anything. Maybe to Petsmart tomorrow, maybe to a bookstore. Tonight when you got home from work, you open the windows to let in the cool evening air, and to let the cats jump up onto the sills and look out at the cars, the birds. Floating over the traffic noises were the bells from St Catherine's of Genoa, up the hill, which you hear so frequently now, and you are afraid it might be their death knell, their last attempt to call in the faithful flocks, their siren song. St Catherine's is a high traditional cathedral on the hill, pale bricks and a small school tucked in across the narrow street, next to the Greek Orthodox church. St Catherine's is slated to be closing, out of all the local Somerville parish schools. Do they hold mass more frequently because of that? You don't know, but you keep running to the window to try to record the sound of those bells, floating over the chilled air. Last week you won $1,000. Have you won any more prizes? Entered contests, applied for grants, for chapbook competitions? Have you submitted poetry for publication? Do you read lots of things to find new places to submit to? Are you still dabbling in web design? How is the Persnicket website? The Milk and Ink blog? Did you ever buy that hand press? Are you in Oregon now? Are you married? Did you buy a house? Where is Jennie? Where is Sally? Did you ever buy a car? Did you parents sell the old Cottonwood Court house and build their own? Is Rosie dead? Are you still on medication? Did you ever get in contact with people you lost touch with---JR, Carrie, Jen Mack, Leah? What about your tenth high school reunion? What about your fifth college reunion? Where are you working now, and are you happy? Remember yourself as you are today, still living paycheck to paycheck but comfortable, happy, liking the house and loving love and all that other stuff. Life is good, that's what I want to say. Is it still good?