The Things We Left Behind

Momma wept
It’s all too much to accept
The memories she kept
Swore to preserve and protect
Chipped floors she patiently swept
Stacks of of junk-mail and debts
The kitchen of crepes and cartoons
All consumed

Momma, I said
It’s all still there in our heads
Your laugh as you fed us
The tales that you read us
Hands held tight as you led us
Through Narnia and Atlantis
To the wall by the cactus
Where dad marked our height and age
‘Momma, just one more page!’

Knock on the door
15 minutes, no more
Take only what you need

Hurry, grab a few things
Gusty, easterly winds
Finding it hard to breathe

Is it the smoke
Or the scope
Of the crime?
Of all the things we left behind

I hung up and I cried
Each word was true, but I lied
Breathed in deep and I sighed
Called up Jen and we tried
To recall the times we’d hide
Coat closet, side-by-side
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five
Four, three, two, one
Ready or not, here I come

She said: What funny places we hid
And silly things that we did
I’ve been busy with the kids
Worried sick about SIDS
Hunting for Tupperware with matching lids
Scrubbing bib after bib
I promise I’ll give
You more time
How’s momma?
She’s fine

Knock on the door
15 minutes, no more
Take only what you need

Frantic, grab a few things
Past the wooden porch swing
Finding it hard to believe

But in the seams
Of our dreams
We will find
All the things we left behind

The photo of grandpa, handsome in his army uniform
Me tiny, raw, and red-faced, reeling from being born
Us splashing in puddles, kids savoring the storm
Me moving into my cramped college dorm

The one with dad and momma, young and sipping wine
With a message on the back that dad scrawled and then signed
Fine ballpoint pen, cursive, and double underlined
“Honey, I love you, I am yours and you are mine”

Some of the things we left behind

The inferno spread and we finally fled
As the flames fed on our home

Momma wept: What did we expect?
Living like that
In that tinderbox trap
A chill crept into my bones

Put my hand on her shoulder and kept quiet
There was plenty more to say
But I knew she wouldn’t buy it

Like: Momma, we’ll be fine
We got each other, love, and the rest of our time
The things we’ll never leave behind

The history in our hearts
And the mountains in our minds
The things we’ll never leave behind