Vestiges

photo by PSC

Vestiges

The attic remains filled to the rafters,

still brimming with boxes, bins, & crates,

bits of mementos of their conjoined life:

pressed flowers, dancing slippers,

a heart-shaped locket, scrapbooks

of news clippings – births, weddings,

graduations, and funerals; as well as

a wealth of baby memorabilia:

hand carved toys & rattles, tiny shoes,

a wisp of blond curls, and a feast of

photo albums overflowing with “firsts” –

first steps, first teeth, first day of school.

Another corner holds an accumulation

of vacation souvenirs: found feathers,

smooth stones, beach glass, and many

penny postcards from far off places

the whole family gallivanted together.

Then, for good measure,

there’s a swatch of ancient keys,

uncoupled from lost and forgotten locks

but linked, by the most fragile of cords,

that no one seems

quite ready

to let go of

just yet.

PSC / 2019-Apr