No No Ms. Kondo You Must Go

You do not spark joy so please get the hell away from me. What part of Memento Mori do you not understand?? If I keep only what sparks joy I would never write another song. No, really. Think about it. Maybe if I make a list. An ex's shirt. Any number of photographs of course. A spoon. A single earring. Boots--mg if they could talk! A torn leather jacket. A book you have read already but it is signed to you by the author, a friend, who has died. A postcard from a friend you will never see again because you don't know what happened to him. Empty perfume bottles. Seashells from opposite sides of the world.

I am not really a total packrat. I got rid of a LOT of stuff when Kip and I moved from New Mexico to our 495 square foot cabin in the Mojave. I am not sorry I donated my Schwinn cruiser to the Santa Fe Boys and Girls' club. I don't regret the silk kimono I gave to Rosalia. Many things are still in New Mexico that I could still have with me. But there are two things that I will always regret letting go: My old Olivetti typewriter and my Conn Saxophone. They were living beings, not just stuff. To be continued...

But may I add? Screw you Marie Kondo. You who would snatch the madeleine from Proust. Go. Away.