50 Words for Nostalgia
a LR collection
the long buzzer / rubber soles on ancient hardwood / the rhythmic boom boom boom of a confident dribble / the dead spot: thud / a double whistle you feel in your spine / at the free throw line, nothing / until someone’s father cracks his knuckles, clears his throat / time moves backwards / the long buzzer
— Kelsey Swintek
The days of friend’s wood paneled tv rooms. After school snacks and carpools to soccer practice. Sleepovers and photo collages. A time before loss and the ebb and flow of grief. If I could go back, how long could I stay and not know what it feels like?
— Bryanna
What I’ll miss: My grandmother’s handwriting/ the hard water smell of a childhood friend’s home/ fireflies/ manhunt/ a litany of acronyms that mean nothing unless they do: 4H, CCD, AHS/ corn fields, sod farms, christmas tree farms/ rita's water ice, mango/ the tightening of sundried ocean skin/ residual sand in the bathtub, funneling downwards.
— Jenna Kunze
always thought the reason it makes a mess of me–and not mess like good drugs great sex the boundlessness of reverie but mess like something spilled something stinks something died–is that it’s antithetical of hope, but mostly it’s just cause it reminds me of when hope was all i had
— Damon Young
A really tall pine tree
Dirt caked in my hair
Climbing all the way up
Bark under my hands
And under my shoes
Putting on a tire
Jumping off the ledge
Acorns taste so bitter
Pine needles in my socks
Grass on all my jeans
Cuts all over my knees
— Sarah Coppolo
fake IDs from Akron, Ohio / an entryway / an unfolding / new / alive / fingers interlaced / leading me through the crowd / outside / sharing cigarettes / the 2am diners / us, invincible / on the edge of everything / suddenly, soggy pancakes / my tattoo fades / I’m 28 / you, forever 22 / oh, the ache of time / of what’s missing
— Courtney Cook
dirt between my toes after a softball game / “Mangia!” / Kennywood / licking tapioca pudding off the foil peel / new Harry Potter book at midnight / clinking cranberry juice glasses: “skumps!” / Giant Eagle birthday cake: new year, new theme / Pymatuning Lake / the way Gramma & Pappy are somewhere in every one of these memories
— Ash Taylor
My fondest memories of childhood involve my grandmother: Playing hair-dresser. Shopping in the Sears Catalog: Visiting her Hungarian Frieds; Tasting kohlrabi, tomatoes , etc, warm and apron cleaned in her garden; Sharing her feather bed. She didn'r speak English. I didn't speak Hungarian, We spoke LOVE.
— Jean Swintek
When I was little
we had sliding glass doors
that opened onto an empty field.
They framed the sunset until dark
then they were black
reflecting only our red table lamp.
The lamp’s reflection
with miles of dark behind it
introduced me to a dread
that still visits
fairly often.
— Jon Klassen
This collection was inspired by this piece from HAD and these twitter replies. Thank you Bryanna, Jenna, Damon, Sarah, Courtney, Ash, Jean (Granje), and Jon for sharing your nostalgia with me. It is so cool to write together.
Share your own 50 words for nostalgia in the comments.