The Widows' Handbook: Poetic Reflections on Grief and Survival

The Weight

126 the widows’ handbook The Weight Ann McGovern Objects remain. Baskets bought in Borneo the day we saw the deadly snake on a river trip, coiled in a jungle tree above us. “You die before you scream,” our guide said. A Turkish rug from Istanbul. We looked at a pile of hundreds. We might have curled up on the bottom, smothered in history. A Vietnamese medicine chest I use for jewelry, one drawer for the earrings you gave me. How can I forget the countries where we bought them, the shops and the shopkeepers, the ways I thanked you for each lovely pair. But mostly, your leg against mine, for instance. The shocking weight. ...