Our Way | A Braided Memoire

This was written for a college class, but remains one of my prized writings. Enjoy a snippet from my personal memoire about my husband and I's relationship.

As I walked down this path, however, collecting rocks for my altar, I stumbled across the most gorgeous, smooth, bleached rock. It was covered in moss and hiding within the wildflowers. Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t a rock. It was a bird skull, and the rest of the skeleton was laid out nearby. Once a symbol of freedom, it now lay lifeless, discarded to the side of the road.

My mother tried to take that freedom once too, though she was not as successful as the delicate balance between life and death. I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere, do anything. I was hit if I so much as dared to disagree or ask a “stupid” question. I was trapped in a cage, dying of neglect. You saved me from that. You got me out of there. You brought new life to the bird inside me.

However, it is not the end for the skeleton of the path either. It is the home of moss and insects. It fed hungry animals. The surrounding wildflowers stick through the cracks and holes and engulf the entire skull until it is a beautiful scene of a rather macabre flowerpot.

I leave the bleached frame, now seasoned with life. I catch up to you and show you my stones, the same way I did when we went exploring after our wedding.  Our wedding may have been just an elopement, but it remains the best day of my life.