Hello - o - o - o - o-!!

I’m in Lithuania - nearing the end of my journeys. Prague was intense and incredible. Kaunas has been wonderful - my brother picked me up from the airport and drove me directly out to an unspoiled river delta full of mottes (as in motte and bailey) where there is an archeological museum. The spot is called Kernavė and the local houses until very recently were thatch-roof.

After the short Prague to Vilnius flight it was great to stretch my legs. (And stretch. And stretch.) We also walked into the forest a ways. It was great to catch up.

I was delighted to meet his girlfriend and her kids, and to spend some time with my mom’s distant cousin (therefore also mine) and his wife, and generally surround myself in family and conversation.

It was strange to feel seen after weeks of drifting invisibly through cities with long histories of tourism. My kinsman wrote me a text saying that my eyes were so sad it pained him not to be able to have a longer conversation. One more thing to worry about! Sad eyes? Noooo!

I did peek into one cathedral. It was empty and it suddenly struck me, how delighted I’ve been by all the empty rooms I’ve recently seen. Parts of palaces, huge halls in museums, conference rooms, hotel rooms…lots of empty-but-for-me rooms. Each time I was alone in one I would feel a rush of happiness—perhaps it was that I was doing something others wanted to do but that I was actually doing it.

I love this sort of temporary solitude so much, but more than that, I love being alone with the echoes of the warm bodies that were last there having fun, or experiencing pain and laughter and imminent hangovers and trembling first dances. In an empty room, I go to the center and breathe. Then I go to the edge or corner and take a photo.

WRITING NEWS:

I got rejected by six or eight or forty literary journals this week. It wasn’t fun.

Got accepted by one though: Egzodika, vol 3!! The conference is again printing a lovely collection of poetry, and will include two of mine.

As a reminder, I’m en route to the International Writers of the Diaspora Forum. It’s my third time - the conference runs until Saturday.

RANDOM FINAL THOUGHT: