The Memoir Shelf

I keep my memories on a shelf Each one a book, a spine, a name A library of all I've lived Of all I've felt and seen Some volumes end too early Some, stretched across my years And I pull them out when the night feels empty Open to a chapter I thought I forgot Some, I've tried to burn away They still echo in my ears Each one, a piece of the plot Each one, writing me, even now For every memory, bound in time, Shapes the soul I know And the shelf I keep within myself Lines the spine of each tomorrow