More Memories Than My Heart Can Hold

[The title of this poem and the above photo comes from and is used with the permission of Rose at Pics and Pieces.  Thank you so much, Rose!  Please check out her blog here.]

More Memories Than My Heart Can Hold

They cleanse me like the falling rain

Awash with joy, sadness, pain

Softly touch my heart again

Rehearsing what my life has been.

I read the letters, faded, old

Put away so long ago

Saved for reasons I don't know

But I was young and brave and bold...

Knowing not of future days

When ancient script

Would rescue to now resurrect

Dreams and friends and memories.

I touch them and the aged paper

Crinkles, crackles, 'tis a vapor

As I gently smooth the words

Written when I'd live forever.

Or so I thought when but a youth

Mistakenly, but still uncouth

And now, older and much wiser, too

I need those memories of you.

And other friends and of the times

Both good and bad and in between

We knew it all except the fact

That things aren't always as they seem.

And thus, I hold them in my hands

Gently, as to not disturb

The spirit of the distant scenes

The memories and what they mean.

It's hard to go there once again

To life the way it was back then

I've found that like a valued coin

Memories are tough to spend.

As I sit here on the floor

I'm feeling glad and sad and old

I touch the letters for there I find

More memories than my heart can hold.

Copyright © 2011 by Jacob Anson.  All Rights Reserved.