A list of very small things:

Thumbtacks. Baby teeth.
Lady bugs. Cherry tomatoes.
Retrieved bobby pins.

My hedgehog’s tolerance towards humans.

A squeezed hand in passing.
Chihuahua puppies. Backs of earrings.
A hummed tune in an empty kitchen.

Toothbrush bristles.

My boyfriend’s voice when he cries.

A held elevator. A shared sandwich.
Moss. Tear drops.
The earth.

The smell of fresh pine.
Sleeping in. Forehead kisses.
Root beer floats. Cartwheels. Goosebumps.

My father’s understanding of mental illness.

My deceased mother’s turtle necklace.
Sitting graveside deep in conversation with a ghost.
Knowing I have her hands, her eyes.

The way my smile keeps
some small part of her alive.

The last heaves of sobbing.
Wishbones.
Forget-me-nots.

Time.

By Julia Gaskill

Biography:

Julia Gaskill is a professional daydreamer from Portland, Oregon. She was both a staff writer and producer for the Pencil Ink Production’s web series “The Misselthwaite Archives,” and she will be reprising both roles on the studio’s new web series “The Cloisterham Case Files.” Most recently, Julia competed in the 2016 Women of the World Poetry Slam in Brooklyn, New York. Her work has been featured on FreezeRay Poetry, Thirteen Myna Birds, Front Row Central, and Voicemail Poems, and she was nominated for Best of The Net 2015 for one of her pieces. It goes without saying that she loves Muppets more than you. Find her poetry and information about available chapbooks at http://geekgirlgrownup.tumblr.com