“Anxiety is the handmaiden of creativity," wrote T.S. Eliot. To help make productive use of our self-isolation and social distancing, Lit Cleveland is offering free writing challenges each week via our newsletter. The following piece is a response to the Small Pleasures prompt.

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the little things

by Kristin Gustafson

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and if i were to die today, like so many already have

i would ask before i leave to see the

dogwood shedding outside my grandmother’s third home,

to feel the sun toasting my hair to a golden-brown,

taste the first snowflakes of a cleveland storm

and if i my time is short, i will not cry—

this life has been better than most

for i have love, and love has me,

and i lived for the little things

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