I see you-
Long lost loves,
The preciousness of life;
Snapshots of moments-
Now, too long ago.
The more love lost,
heavier do they seem.
Grief sits neatly in them,
For this I am grateful-
Storage full of levity.
I fall in love over and over-
With labels and dates,
Mostly incorrect now…
I was never meant to be keeper of the boxes.
They gawk at me from the corner,
As they have more of my life,
My love inside of them-
My life turned tangible.
Stacking up precariously,
Carrying the love and weight-
Of long ago,
Bankers boxes; folding much-
Origami and cardboard cuts.

They hold my heart and soul,
Memories so near,
in a whiff – the boxes-
Take me back in years.
One small glance,
Transports me to the past.
Leaning on filing cabinets,
Organizing myself neatly.
Of bankers boxes and love,
weight of memories long ago-
weight of generations I didn’t know-
the love in those folds,
the love seen- that I didn’t know.

The more love lost-
The more bliss they own.
Containing my world,
The love that made me-
Stored in a container.
Love is in every fold,
Through every mislabeled decade,
You continue to hold.

I love your strength.
I love how you compartmentalize.
I love how there is one of you,
That’s always the right size-
For mistakes and memories,
For life and love lost,
Oh, Origami cardboard of old,

I love you, bankers boxes.