I went to the Shedd Aquarium for my birthday. A few days earlier I was working at my desk; relative to the rest of the apartment, it’s quite tidy. Next to the lamp and vase is a piece from my grandfather’s desk set. I remember being fascinated by it as a child. I think it was a gift from his eldest son Gerald who lived in British Columbia. If I recall correctly, there was a letter holder (which I now have), a letter opener (which my mother has), and a pen stand that doubled as a paper weight. All are like tidal pool snow globes—there was even a tiny crab or sea horse that floated underneath the glass. My letter holder mostly has mother of pearl shell fragments and it was clearly dropped at some point and fixed with what looks like wood glue…I have vivid memories of so many items from my childhood (my grandparents’ manse in particular), and I’m adding some of those remembered colors to my apartment. The yellow chaise arrived on Friday; it matches the Tahitian landscape painting by Gauguin that used to hang in our home. I got teal velvet chairs for the dining room table, matching my grandmother’s tablecloth and the felt that lined her silver chest…what brings us comfort is a curious thing. We can’t recreate the exact feeling we had in certain spaces in the past but just a hint of the remembered moment or place seems to suffice. There’s a tiny sea horse in the corner of this underwater tableau from the aquarium. I couldn’t help wondering if it was content. Zoos are always a mixed bag; it’s thrilling to see these creatures up close but then you consider how limited their life is…sea otters shouldn’t be kept in a tank. Dolphins shouldn’t be doing tricks to entertain humans. If you’re born in captivity, do you even know what it means to be free? I finished the novel on Friday and turned it in right on time. Now I’m navigating my post-project slump…yesterday I just wanted to rest but now I’ve got to come up with a plan. I think November will involve a lot of museums, maybe a matinee for the first time in over a year…the sponge that is my brain has been wrung dry and so I’ve got to soak it with art and nature…the leaves are finally starting to turn. I bought ingredients to make a pot of vegan chili and my dear friend Satia just gave me a book about Black food…I’ve decided to write a poem a day for the month of November and I want to finish The Boy in the Lake, maybe Ola’s Dream, too. For now, I’m heading out to have tea with friends at a swanky hotel. Then I’ll be handing out books to kids in my condo complex. I hate Halloween but I do love seeing the little ones all dressed up…