By Elizabeth Cutright
© 2012 The Daily Creative Writer

Sometimes the past can rear up unexpectedly and slap you in the face (or knock you on your ass). When that happens – when your history arrives unannounced and sets up camp in your present – I find it helpful to remember the words of Garrison Keillor, “Nothing bad happens to a writer, it’s all material. ”

This weekend I’m in the midst of a reunion of sorts – spending time with the people who know me best – and that means our shared past is always with us, hovering in the margins and coloring our conversation. This is mostly a good thing; there’s nothing more gratifying than feeling understood and accepted.

But every now and then an old hurt will resurface – not just well-worn arguments or unresolved conflicts ( although those things are bound to crop up from time time), but the memories of tangential events – the reminder that when “that” happened “this” was happening too.

And so as we were laughing over “remember-when’s” and retelling stories we’ve heard a hundred times before, I found myself mulling Keillor’s words and finding material lurking alongside the skeletons in my closet.

It’s History.
“You’re the girl from the weird state,”
He said.
And she liked the idea
Of being discussed
Legitimized.

“You made me swoon.”
A snippet of paper
From an email
A reminder that it’s real.
Authentic.

“I know I can tell you this.”
A confidence shared.
A connection deepened.
Ties to bind.

A different girl.
The same old line.
A false hope.
Histories.

(June 22, 2012)

By Elizabeth Cutright

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