Where I Hang My Memories

I stand in the now,

Overlooking the places in time

Where I’ve been.

I pull up the happy memories.

I smile, I laugh,

I feel a sweet warmth in my heart.

I know what to do with these.

I put them on the walls of my mind

To look at often,

To take down when I need to smile.

I pull up the tearful memories,

The bittersweet of times gone by.

I hold the intangible touch of

Loved ones past, and loved ones lost.

I know what to do with these.

I put these in a treasure box in my mind

To pull out at precious times

That remind me of their qualities;

To surround me in their warmth.

I pull up shameful memories.

I wonder what to do with these.

They feel prickly to the touch,

And make my hand recoil.

I want to throw them all away.

But wait.

Is there a reason they are here?

I pick one up and see a tare.

I peel the skin.

The hard outer crust, I find,

Holds treasures underneath.

Great treasures most important not to toss.

Here a layer of learning,

Next a layer of understanding,

A layer of growth,

One of knowledge, wisdom too!

Oh, I know what to do with these.

Unpeel each prickly memory

And make them all a part of me.