I gathered all of my memories into my arms
And held them tightly against my chest, caressing each
I buried my face in the tattered remnants of years gone by
It’s funny how they still hold the faint scent of mothballs and lavender
Here are memories of life and love
Of promises kept and hopes deferred
Of the person I had been, or wanted to be
Memories still hanging in closets
Tucked neatly into the old oak chest of drawers
Boxes of them stored in the attic
All the hopes and wishes that had gone unfulfilled
Lying side by side with those I had accomplished
But most precious of these are the memories of my beloved family
Just by thinking of their names, I see every detail of their faces
The way they smile, the sound of their voices
And I know that from now on all these memories will begin to fade
Until they’re gone forever
I desperately need to visit each, one last time
So I carry them into the garden and we spend a lovely afternoon together
Reminiscing, laughing, crying
And when the time comes to bid them farewell
I reluctantly stand up, on shaky legs
Look to the sky, and throw them into the air
Watching as they climb higher and higher
Framed briefly against a deep blue background
Then falling to earth, and scattering like so many pieces of a jigsaw puzzle
My life, my being, my memories
I walk among them, and when I reach my door I turn and look back
I must have come out here for a reason, I just can’t remember...