for Geraldine

I folded you a boat
out of a page.

tap the boat to set sail

chapter thirty-eight

Geraldine

Writer of beautiful sentences, sailor of the Sumud,
and the best friend a dog could ever ask for.

woof!

(go on, pet him)

turn the page

I. in which a wish is made

Make a wish,
then blow out the candles.

3 8

tap the flames

Wish received. Consider it written.

II. in which she sails

صمود

ṣumūd · steadfastness

Most people only write about courage.
You went and lived a chapter of it.

You sailed with the Global Sumud Flotilla: ordinary people from more than forty countries, small boats on a big sea, carrying aid and refusing to look away. That kind of steadfastness doesn't fit in a birthday card, but it deserves one anyway.

III. in which the pack arrives

Six good dogs.

Your home once had room for six of them, and they were lucky to have you. Here's the whole pack, together again, to wish you a happy birthday.

(tap them. they're all very good.)

IV. in which she writes the next page

The first line of
chapter thirty-eight is yours.

Type a wish, a hope, a sentence. Then fold it into a boat and send it out to sea.

Your words are out at sea now.
Wishes that float have a way of arriving.

— chapter 38, page one —

Dear Geraldine,

Happy birthday. Thank you for showing what it looks like to stand for something, with your words and with your whole self.

I hope this year brings you quiet mornings to write, open seas, good people beside you, and a dog's head resting on your knee whenever you need one.

Here's to the best chapter yet.

— your friend