Sitting on Crescent Beach outside of Portland Maine

watching the waves kiss the sand and happen to notice a book of matches lost in the comings and goings of visitors

I reach for them and find myself thinking of burning those past memories that keep me from moving forward in my life

I have no problem remembering those occurrences that are unresolved in spite of attempts to do so

I begin to strike a match and let them burn until they are to close to hold

I envision each graphically and repeat the process until the book is empty

again focused on the movement of the water I feel as though the receding ebb of the waves takes them away and something has happened and a lightness permeates my mind

burning matches…… burning the mental debris of the past

🦍