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Wedding
Today is the day that I officially married my best friend, the love of my life, and the center of my world. This evening at our house in Vermont, Amelia Phoenix Desertsong, the most intelligent, beautiful, and wonderful woman I have ever met, officially became my wife. I am truly honored that we now get to spend the rest of our lives together. The wedding of Thomas Wilson Pratt Slatin and Amelia Phoenix Desertsong.May 24, 2021
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Summer Comes For Everyone
This morning I was lost inside a daydream and I was rehearsing a dialogue inside my head. In my dreams, it is always raining and in shades of black and white. The rain wraps fears around me like a blanket, making me feel short of stable, and then finally, it washes me away. These are the days I will remember all my life, the precious and often fleeting moments when there’s a story to be told, Amelia takes my hand in an empty room as adventure awaits. Summer comes for everyone; today is the springtime of my life. Social media became one drink too many and a joke gone too…
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These Things Will Never Change For Us At All
Ever since childhood, there were always a handful of places I considered magical and I always dreamed that these places would always be there, if not for all time, then at the very least, for all of my life. An unexpected course of recent events has suddenly forced me to replace my lifelong dreams with less marvelous ones for which I must dream instead. Realizing finally that no matter what, these things will never change for us at all. Childhood heroes, people I thought were my friends, and all the things for which I held in such firm belief to be true, though, in the end, I’ve come to realize…
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I’m Going Through Changes
Day breaks, the lost girl inside wakes, the birds sing, the wind blows through the trees, and the angels sigh. My mornings in Vermont begin early with the rising sun, my days often occupied with my own pursuits of untamed introspection as I try to unravel the mysteries of life, followed by early nightfall to hang the stars and moon upon, and until I see another day as the sun rises, I am feathered by the moonlight. The promise of another day on the horizon guarantees that the days ahead will never change for me at all. Introspection is my muse, my preoccupation, my heartbreak. I awoke on this cold…
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You Were One Of The Four People In My Life I Considered Grandparents
THOMAS SLATINPO BOX 1231MIDDLETOWN SPRINGS, VT 05757 December 9, 2020 Dear Ellen, First of all, I wish to thank you for inviting me in to your home to let me sit on your couch and catch up for awhile. It was truly beautiful for me to sit on your couch and cry and let you know that you were one of the four people in my life I considered grandparents (you, your husband Clayt, Frank, and Carol). These past few months have been absolutely crazy for me, and my life has changed in numerous ways. I broke up with my fiance, Angie, after we were together for a little over…
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I Used To Worry About Rain
I awoke at 5 AM suddenly on this cold November morning; my feeble attempts to remain asleep were futile as whenever I wake from a restful night’s sleep, my mind begins racing and always will. I realize now that after a lifetime of feeling like an outsider who views life as if looking through a large plate of seemingly impenetrable glass. I realize now that my entire life, up until now, I did not know I was lost, and even if I knew that indeed I was lost, I never could have known to what extent that I was lost. The tears I shed were a warning sign often ignored,…
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There’s No Way To Bargain On A Barter
This past month, I’ve been visiting places that I likely won’t see for a while. Camera in hand, as I document and record the places I roamed for over a decade; places I might never see for quite a long time, if ever again. I believe that there is truth to the notion that one does not truly know what they have until one loses it all again. In my case, I’m giving up on a life in which I was never truly happy, to pursue my hopes and dreams in a place where nobody knows me. The worst part about leaving it all behind is letting go of the…
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A Week At Camp
My dream of returning to the summer camp where I spent the summers of my childhood was finally granted. My plans were made suddenly, on a whim in fact, though taking this rare opportunity to return to this place I have always considered to be magical has helped me to realize just how truly lost I was. I stood in the middle of one of the large open athletic fields, all alone and listened to the sounds of nature; the singing birds, the wind blowing gently through the trees, surrounded by my own thoughts, and because it is natures poetry, forever shrouded in mystery. I walked up to the door…
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It’s Been Awhile Since I’ve Dreamed This Much
Today the sun came up, painted the landscape golden, and brought with it the brilliant light of morning. I woke up, got out of bed, and opened the window shades. Outside was another typical ordinary morning. I haven’t been sleeping much these past few days, yet it has been a while since I have dreamed this much. Summoned by abstract dreams and sirens calling with empty promises, I realized that one must never lock up something that they wished to see thrive. As I looked out the window a finch landed on the windowsill edge. He was truly something to observe, so small and fragile; innocently hopping around, going about…
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A Little Ghost For The Offering
When my parents moved me to our second house, I was instantly drawn towards a hundred year old maple tree in the back yard. As the years went by, the tree became my inspiration, my childhood joy, and the one spot I would always run to whenever I needed a good cry. I would often imagine being hugged and comforted by it’s sheltering arms, an imaginary comfort throughout all the times I felt alone. On various occasions, I would talk to the tree. Trusting it with my deepest and darkest secrets, my hopes, my dreams, my fears. A trusted confidant. The ideal listener. A faithful friend that can’t run away.…
