Scars and Souvenirs

Scars and Souvenirs

How do you keep something forever?

Instant noodles in hand,
I watch you play your video game.
Your avatar has an ugly scar – a dragon ripped out her heart –
Best thing that ever happened, you say,
As you fight monsters in a dungeon.

I am a collector.

When I travel I pick up
Leaves feathers ticket stubs wine corks
Those little soap bottles from hotel rooms –
I store my ever-growing collection in safe places that
Disappear, forgotten.

And I, too,
Keep tallies on my skin:
Reminders of clumsiness, marks from
Bloody knees on the tarmac, the price paid for learning to ride a bike –
An ever-fading archive.

I am a trophy-gatherer.

I line my shelves with treasures,
Fleeting memories of the past.
As time goes by the content matters not,
I see only the shadows, fading fast.

Fine photos fade, and scars do too
Memory fails, when we’re past our prime.
All that remains is whitewashed nostalgia
For good ‘ole days that glitter more with time.

Sometimes I get an urge, a longing for an Us:
Official declaration to the world of our association,
Proof, documentation of love and happiness –
Yet what good will this endeavor serve? ‘Tis not enough.

I am a desperate, love-struck hoarder.

On the bus side-by-side,
Your hand finds mine and I smile out the window.
You’re reading – my reflection looks ridiculously happy –
Best feeling in the world, I think,
As you kiss my cheek and turn a page.

Just once, can I have this for eternity?





3rd Place winner for Lexi's Poetry Challenge Round #53, Prompt 8. I didn't intend for this poem to get quite this personal, but here we are.