Memories

My memories

Are sepia-toned

Immortalized in my minds Kodachrome

Preciously stored within my minds closed vault

And I have the only key.

***

That summer we climbed into my dad’s new car

My sisters, my mum and I

And sang as we drove down that black ribbon of road

Marvelling at dad’s new buy.

***

Summer holidays

Dancing in the rain

Splashing through rain-filled puddles

Down our country lane.

***

My first kiss

My wedding day

Seeing my first child born

I have those pictures locked away.

***

Whenever I’m feeling down or lonely

I open up my vault

And the memories of a life well-lived

Come tumbling out.

***

Now my mind’s eye doesn’t discriminate

It also records the bad

Sad tinged memories

Of the worst times I’ve had.

***

Against my better judgment

Not considering the emotional cost

Sometimes I open that darker album

And weep for what I’ve lost.

***

My memories are sepia-toned

Stored in the vault in my mind

Pictures of my life both good and bad,

They have shaped this man.