09/03/2026
Small Keepers of the Unfinished...
My sketchbook is filling up fast these days with rapid sketches. I’m finally working through ideas I’ve been quietly collecting for what feels like a surprisingly long time.
Years ago, one of our grandsons came to stay with us for a bit. At night, after tucking him in, I’d often lie down beside him and tell stories...stories about a little boy who lived in the woods, a friend to all the animals and little creatures.
As he grew, the stories continued. Then one day I realized the little boy had grown up... but the stories still deserved their own homes. They deserved to grow up too. And that’s when the Ginkelmier were born.
They welcomed the stories-from the woods into the sketchbook. And as they grew, I hoped they would let me gather many of them into a more finished form. A quiet walk between childhood and adulthood. Beings imperfect enough to welcome everyone
Small keepers of the unfinished,
living between pen and woods.
They often wear crowns,
leave quiet smudges,
and stay where the drawing is still breathing.
Armless and night-eyed
(a soft echo of those early stories that spilled into the night as a restless little boy snuggled in and settled with each new tale),
they smoke a little petal-and-pencil quiet,
lean instead of reaching,
and sit closer
when the boundary thins
between page and forest
and the stars look like
the oldest unfinished page.
More than anything,
they wish for one best friend
who will simply remain.
I hope anyone who stumbles into this little corner of the world...where the Ginkelmier are slowly claiming their rightful place among the misfits...will stop by now and then. Come for a story, a few words that might be profound, silly, or just a quiet fact. Sit with the Ginkelmier and you’ll always find a friend.
