Decluttering Memories
No more dissecting the past
Decluttering unsorted items from an old desk,
I’m leaving more of my past behind.
I feel a need to meet more people, go to new places,
To make new memories, if of another kind.
Young years made accidental memories at times
Through inattention or lack of forethought.
Relationships, friendships, divorces, and more
Didn’t warn of the unsought pain they brought.
Old Kodak photos, newspaper articles, and scraps
Tend to tighten chest muscles and cause heart pangs.
These allow, or force, tears to form and fall
Some bring smiles, recalling whereby each story hangs..
Dusting, decluttering, and discarding many,
Distancing the past away and behind.
Realizing how little emotions remain
In these objects to remember, or to mind.
Why had I dreaded sorting through these
Old papers, photographs, and other souvenirs?
How much do I, or can I, still relate to their past?
I hope that my life holds some more future good years.
