Nostalgia

He struck up a conversation
In the middle of your chores,
Just like he always does.

You relate things that happened
In that latest book you read,
And finished in a few hours.

He relates things that happened
In that favorite anime of his,
And that tank game he's always playing.

But soon you run out of things to say,
And he sits there in silence as you
Dance and sing to your favorite songs.

The conversation soon continues
Made into a game of "I remember"
And isn't it always?

You remember your mother
Bandaging your knee
After you fell off your bike.

You remember your father
Becoming overprotective
The second you became a teenager.

You remember the smell
Of that one particular cotton blanket;
Like roses and fabric softener.

You remember the sound of
Your brother's laughter
When you went into his room just to talk.

You remember your first words
To your new friends
After you moved (hopefully) for the last time.

You remember the taste of maraschino cherries
On spring cleaning day;
You had to wash your mouth out.

You remember earlier that day,
When your father was playing Command and Conquer
Wearing your little sister's Pinkie Pie headphones.

You remember moving from one state to another
And the whole two acres to play on,
And all the snake holes that went with it.

You remember the next move
And walking to the bus stop every day
And going to your Grandmother's house every afternoon.

You remember Texas, your favorite place
And the snowless first Christmas,
And the snow filled first Easter.

You remember almost last move
And the bullies there,
And all the fake friends.

You remember moving here
And everything getting better
And maybe even a little perfect.

And as you wash those dishes
With all of your might,
You wonder if, just maybe, they remember too.