WHAT I WON'T BRING

2 of the 3 jumbo red suitcases

all my summer dresses and sandals

the journals I’ve kept since childhood

the high thread count sheets from Goodwill

the knockoff Pendleton blanket with a stain

the bras I’ve shrunk from in the past year

anything that requires mending to be worn outside the house

the short sea foam bath robe

the bright orange baseball cap

the sequined top I just bought at the Florida thrift shop

a box of baby clothes and toys

a box of my mother’s clothes I will never wear

a box of National Geographics for collaging

a box of oil paints, a cup of brushes

boxes and boxes of photo prints and slides

notebooks from every class I’ve ever taken

my postcard collection

my old eyeglasses

those chipped bowls from Paris I’ve been using for cat food

that geologic map of where I was born that I stole from the college library

the hello kitty suitcase full of scarves

all the pets buried in the backyard

all the sorrow I’ve collected for everything I’ve lost

any sense that if I lived better I would lose less