Lisa Hutton - Work

The Chief’s Album

Love Songs for Dead Dogs

Resurrecting the Dreamer

Conversations with Myself

Hurry Back

the sign said, “Hurry Back”
but I took my time
feeling my way in the dark
arms outstretched to break my fall
these albums smell of the past
his memories posted
on thick black ink paper
uneven edges tucked into precise corners
damp, musty, bleeding life
hurry back, hurry back, hurry back
they call me
but this was farther than my beginnings
I wandered into the unknown
all color drained by time’s lips
the sepia dregs
left in the porcelain cup of memory
form patterns that dare my imagination
will I read these tea leaves
will I become their voice
then speak to me
sing your story in my ear
I am a part of you that still breathes
tell your story
there’s no one left
to say “That’s not true.”
no one to whisper the color of the sky that day

now, I am the captain of our little ship
with the strength to turn those heavy pages
I did not hurry back
but wandered slowly
and took my ease
painting by numbers in the dark.