Try Not To Think

Try not to think as you throw away the pacifiers. You had hidden them in a wine cooler when weaning your baby off them. Somehow, two nappies have found their way into a bag you never use. The bibs. The one with the Christmas tree on it. And the one that says ‘Hungry’. Did his head ever fit through that opening?

Try not to think as you throw away the small glasses your universiy roommate has given you and that came from Morocco. The designs have worn off in time, as has the friendship.

Try not to think as you throw away the rusty tin you kept for ten years, only because it had been your grandmother’s.

Try not to think as you throw away the photo-frame you bought for your mother-in-law while working alone some place. But you never gave it to her because after returning home it didn’t look as lovely as it did then.

Try not to think as you throw away last Easter’s chocolates. The chocolates your niece had collected in a basket.

Try not to think as you throw away the lens-filters for your analogue camera. The one you took black and white pictures with and which you developed yourself. The hours you spent in a dark-room, thinking maybe you could become a photographer. Why not?

Try not to think about moving. About the amount of times you have moved. The amount of memories you have thrown away.