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Soul Souvenirs

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(For DD's "Teach me a lesson" contest) (Originally written by Dilly Dally) (Edited by me on 27th July 2023)

There's a beach ball stuck in the rafters of the pool, 
Its position unchanged 
               for the 7 years I've been coming here, 
It contains air from the lungs of an unknown person, 
an essence that rests here, though he left, 
and most likely, never considered 
                that ball containing his breath again... 

I wonder about all the places I've left pieces of me, 
A lost soul searching for souvenirs, 
A mere shadow drifting by, 
                here today, gone tomorrow, 
Caught sight of, but unknown, 
Known, but not seen, 
There, but somehow pushed to the back of their mind, 
Recalled gently, after many years, 
Where my presence never left a place, 
though I never returned... 
Sometimes I encounter it with a long lost friend 
who has a memory or an item I made, 
a saying or a dance I embodied 
                             that they kept somehow... 
These are the people I'd like to ask - 
Who was I in that moment of my life 
when we brushed past each other? 
What was I like back then? 

I hope those fragments 
are more than the air I breathed 
                        on an unremembered day, 
I hope those scraps of me
are the reason people stop for a moment
(like I do on occasion)
with a relic in their hands
                          to conjure back memories  
Small links of the unforgotten, 
That compose my being as someone, 
who not merely existed, but is remembered... 
                                           ...fondly with a smile. 

Copyright © | Year Posted 2023




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Date: 7/27/2023 9:24:00 AM
A brilliantly written poem, on a fascinating topic, Jo. The impact we make, both large and small, we will never know, but can only hope we've made positive change. Thank you for sharing. :)
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Date: 7/27/2023 5:49:00 AM
Wonderful write! We all wonder in the grand scheme of things how each moment matters! It must.
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