Untitled by Matt Mullican

untitled

matt mullican

untitled

her familyher house, homelearning to crawlthe heat from the kitchen stovelearning to walk

hearing her mother upstairsthe street noises coming in the windowlearning to talk

the rug on the living room floorthe trees growing in the backyardlearning to use her hands

feeling hungry after her napthe sunlight hurt her eyes

her birth

her fourth birthdaythe salt on the dining room tablesmelling the fresh autumn air

entering schoolthe pillow on her parent’s bedmaking friendstraveling to the mountainscrying when feeling lost

the people living down the streetlearning to read wordsthe dining room tablethe sky was a light shade of bluelearning arithmeticher best friend’s brotherfeeling hungry after skipping lunch

learning to ride a bikethe full moon lights up the night skylearning about gravity in schoolthe light in the hallway

bleeding after skinning her knee

catching her breath after running homeentering the sixth grade-becoming oldertheir pet dogthe door between her and her older sister’s roomhaving to go to the bathroom

feeling the glare of the sun on her eyes

they got two inches of rain that weekplaying handball at schoolthe street lightfeeling proud of her schoolworklooking at herself in the mirrorentering the seventh gradeplaying in the backyardthe food cans in the kitchen cabinetgoing to the school dancedoing her homeworktasting that there’s too much salt in the salad

noticing that the tree in the backyard

is changing color

thinking about going steadyexperiencing pubertyscaring the dog by slamming the door

looking out her bedroom windowfinding new friends in schoolas the year progressed the days got shorter

visiting her aunt’s housegetting a boyfriend and going steadybrushing her teethher dog diesgetting an electric shockriding the bus to schoolentering the drama clubher boyfriend’s little sistergoing to camp over the summerthe sound of the record player in the living roomthe air felt thick that morning

becoming sick—not going to schoolmaking outhearing her parents arguegetting a younger sister—thinking to herselfgetting scared

going to parties oftenentering high schoolhearing static while talking on the phonetaking care of her little sisterafter gym she was very tiredburning herself while cookingthe telephone ringing in the hallwayspending the summer at a beach housethe ocean seemed endless

a large man passing her on the sidewalkthinking about the people she has yet to meetlearning to drive a carremembering the time she hurt herself skiing

there were so many stars she couldn’t

count them all

touching her right eye with her index fingerfamily moves to a new neighborhoodthe sound of an airplane flying overheadtaking a bathbecoming interested in historyfantasizing about marriagethe dining room table set for eatinggoing to the movieshugging her fatherentering college, moving away from home

her roommatefalling asleep while studyingher roommate’s home townthe amount of time it takes to walk to schoolmajoring in history in collegegetting a boyfriend

the sound of the record player in the next room

cutting her hairstudying the history of her countrygetting married in the afternoon

their front doorquitting school

moving to a new househer husband’s family

the manhole in the streetthinking of her in-lawsher husband’s work

boiling water while cookinggetting a job for herselflooking at herself in the mirror

receiving a letter from her parentshaving her wisdom teeth removedwatching the light refract through the kitchen windoweating luncha pencil on her desk at workknowing she is going to have a baby

thinking of her parentsher baby is bornmoving to a larger housethere is lots of green around the new househer husband’s mouth

staying up, watching the sunrise from

her rooftop

stubbing her toe while runningher son’s baby shoesfebruary twenty-sixthfeeling thirsty one hot afternoonher husband’s bossanother birthday, she is getting older

getting her hands wetthinking about her son’s lifemaking love with her husband

smelling the fresh autumn airthinking of her childhoodthe telephone wiresher son’s learning to walkthe people living next doortrying to find her glassesthe covers on their bed

having another baby, a girl

she only had an hour to get home

her son’s school workvisiting her husband’s sisterthe noise from a large truckher daughter’s fourth birthday

going shopping

not eating very much

looking at herself in the mirrorher thirty-fourth birthday

renewing an interest in historyher daughter’s left hand

taking a showerdreaming that she spoke a foreign languagethinking of her husband’s childhood

an object in the back seat of their carthe floor she stands onoctober fifthher husband shaved regularlytraveling to a large cityher son’s graduation

taking a photographreading a book in the studyher husband’s current incomedropping a dish—watching it breakkissing her husbandthe days seemed to be going by fasterhaving trouble breathing

the new living room furniturethe sidewalk around the cornertouching the wallher father dies, sudden griefthe backyard flooded during a heavy rain

looking at herself in the mirror

sensing that her son is in danger

her son’s marriagebrushing her teethstarting a gardenher daughter’s graduation

swimmingan itch in the lower part of her back

her daughter’s school in a foreign countryspending half the year at the oceanlooking at a photograph of herself as a childbeing scared to enter a dark room

having a grandchildfeeling older

remembering schooldaysa glass of water

the broken glass in the basement door

they have retired

their son’s independencetouching herselfcooking a “hearty meal”

their housegoing for a trip around the world

hair turning white

her daughter’s marriageworking at her deskwondering where that person livesbeing visited by her daughter-in-law’s parents

noticing that the sky is a light shade of bluethe red car down the blockcatching her breath

watching tvtaking a nap in the hot sunher husband diesmoving

forgetting her age

thinking about her eventual death

scaring the dog by slamming the doora family reunion during christmasgoing for a walk in the gardenfeeling old, not caring

looking at her feet

bleeding after skinning her kneethinking of the faces of her parentscooking vegetablesthe door between her and her sister’s roomlooking at her eyes in the mirror

the floor she stands onthinking of her husbandlooking at herself in the mirror

thinking of her death

her death

not being able to see clearly

this bookwas designed byerin mclearin the fall of 2011in Word and Image Studio