Inside Gigi's World

November 1st. The day after Halloween.

It started off as every other day.

I woke up.

Hoped on my phone.

And there, on Facebook, was a random event on my timeline.

“Calaveras de Coronavirus”, an art exhibit meant to honor all those that have passed in 2020 of Covid-19.

I had to see it.

Something drew me to it.

Before I knew it, I was signed up for one of the private viewings.

I showed up for my alloted time slot with a picture of my Gram in tow.

Readywipe Gallery?

Readywipe, I learned, is a still up and running sanitary napkin factory that still produces, you guessed it, sanitary napkins. Located on Main Street in Holyoke, they let local artists use the top floor for art studios and galleries.

J. and I climbed up the stairs, where we were let in.

We walked down a long hall to enter a room.

Walking in to that room is something that leaves me short of words.

1 post card equals 15 people. There were 14,000 images of masked skulls. All numbered. My Grandmother is one of those numbers.

No pictures or words could do this exhibit any kind of justice.

To think that artists, strangers to most of these people, took the time to remember the people that have passed.

Afterwards J. and I were able to go to the community ofrenda. Before reaching it, our guide and one of the artists, Jason, explained to us that they have not only opened the ofrenda up to the community but also the world.

People have not only sent in photos to be placed on the ofrenda from all over the world but also that people from all over have come to leave flowers and offerings and pictures. He warned us that there were pictures of people of all ages, from infancy and children to adults and elderly.

J. had a hard time seeing pictures of children, some her age. But as I explained to her, no one’s time on this Earth is known. Nothing is guaranteed. It is important for them to be remembered just the way they were.

There are signs everywhere.

To me, it was no coincidence that “Readywipe Gallery” showed up on my Facebook time-line this morning. I didn’t know why it was so important to me to bring that picture of my Gramma and Grandpa with me but I had too.

It wasn’t until J. and I picked a spot on the ofrenda that I realized today was my closure. I still hadn’t gotten to say goodbye to her the way I may have liked too.

Today was that.

As I sat there in the most unlikely of places, the back of a sanitary napkin factory, in a town that I am unfamiliar with. In the cold rain, without a jacket or sweater, washing over me like an ice cold shower, I wished my grandparents and everyone else that was there, safe travels and to rest easy. I looked into the sky where there were birds chirping, just as angry as me for the cold, and let go.

It’s funny, the things we can find in places that we never thought we would be looking in but I guess life is funny like that.

J. says she thinks they have the best view. Bottles of booze and sweets, flowers and candles.

I guess there are worse views to have.