Turtle Lamp

Weed your garden well, she said her aunt told her, in a dream but also when she was a girl. She said she was asking herself what did it mean. Why her aunt and what it meant. She’d forgiven everyone and emptied her home of all that gave it meaning. She moved to Florida and sent everyone a postcard when she got there. She said come visit. She had a stained glass turtle lamp. There was nothing else familiar. She decorated the entire condo with that little floor nightlight as seeming inspiration. Not that it was all turtles, but the colors and feel of the curtains, the sofa, the table, chairs and murals on the walls. Even the dinnerware. There was a pond outside. She sat in a wicker chair with light blue cushions. She watched vibrant birds, tiny darting lizards and large leaping frogs populating the pond. But no…