My mind locks in the data
each memory coded and codified
a Dewey Decimal system of memory
the hurts are buried in the deepest files
relegated to the back of the darkest corner
my life filled with words
some my own and some foreign to me
but all sifted into categories
and saved for future reference
here, the words of love
those bright moments stored
where the sunlight can reach them
and here, the words of those I have lost
a memorial imposing and impressive
my life unspooling behind me
archives to commemorate each step
a journey built on challenge and joy
remembered in the quiet and the calm – Caroline A. Slee