I Open Her Old Dusty Boxes Filled With Her Memories

I OPEN HER OLD DUSTY BOXES FILLED WITH HER MEMORIES PICTURES OF FAMILY, FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES MANY OF THE SAME PEOPLE AND SOME NEW ONES, ONLY CHANGING CLOTHS. HAIRSTYLES AND POSITIONS OVER THE YEARS IN VARIOUS HOUSES, ROOMS AND LANDSCAPES AND THEIR PLACES IN THE STACK OF PHOTOGRAPHS THEY POSE, THEY PLAY, THEY PARTY FROM BIRTH TO BIRTH THE WEDDING, BABY AND SCHOOL CLASSROOM PHOTOGRAPHS WERE ALL KEPT NEATLY IN CARDBOARD FOLDERS WITH CUTOUT FRAMES EXPOSING THEM TO HER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PILE BETWEEN THE BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS AND THE COLORED ONES NEXT TO THE MARRIAGE, BIRTH, AND GRADUATION CERTIFICATES ARE DEATH CERTIFICATES AND MASS CARDS GIVING US THEIR NAMES ALONG SIDE PICTURES OF SAINTS MANY OF THE EARLY BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPH OF HER PARENTS, BROTHERS AND SISTERS USED TO BE KEPT TOGETHER IN TATTERED MANILLA ENVELOPES TOWARD THE BOTTOM OF THE PILE AT THE TOP OF HER MEMORIES A FEW OF THOSE MEMORIES VERY SPECIAL TO HER USED TO BE KEPT IN SIMPLE VICTORIAN FRAMES ON HER BEDROOM BUREAU ALONG WITH EARLY PICTURES OF ME, MY BROTHERS AND OUR DAD THE LATER FAMILY PICTURES OF BLACK AND WHITE AND COLOR WERE KEPT IN TACKY ALBUMS THAT AGED WITH US OVER TIME AS THE PEOPLE PASSED ON NEW ONES TOOK THEIR PLACE ALONG WITH THE NEW MASS CARDS GIVING US THEIR NAMES ALONG SIDE PICTURES OF SAINTS THE NEW WEDDING, BABY AND SCHOOL CLASSROOM PHOTOGRAPHS WERE ALL KEPT NEATLY IN CARDBOARD FOLDERS WITH CUTOUT FRAMES EXPOSING THEM TO US I DO NOT RECOGNIZE MANY OF THOSE IN HER EARLY PHOTOGRAPHS BUT THERE IS NO ONE LEFT TO ASK AS TO WHO THEY WERE THE DIARIES, SCHOOL AUTOGRAPH ALBUMS AND PERSONAL PHONE BOOKS IN HER WRITING THAT I HAVE FOUND IN THE BOXES WILL GIVE LITTLE CLUE AS TO THE REAL PAST THEY, LIKE THE POSED PHOTOGRAPHS WILL GIVE TO THOSE WHO WERE NOT THERE ONLY THE VAGUENESS INDICATION OF SPECIFIC SNAPSHOTS IN THEIR TIME WITHOUT ANY OF THE CONNECTING TISSUES. PART OF THE MEMORIES FOUND IN THE SMALL BOXES WERE THE PERFUMES, JEWELRY AND PILLS THAT SHE WORE THAT GOT HER FROM ONE EVENT TO THE NEXT. THE MEMORIES THAT WERE IN THESE BOXES ARE ALL GONE OUT INTO THE WORLD AND ALL THAT REMAINS ARE THE PAPERS AND THINGS THAT ONCE WERE LAYING IN THE BOXES IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER COLLECTING DUST AND WAITING FOR SOMEONE SOMEDAY TO PICK THEM UP AND WONDER WHAT AND WHO THEY WERE.