They flow out as I lift the heavy, rusted lid
Bringing with them an overflow of memories
Images of a tiny baby in her mother’s arms.
A toddler crowned with a bejeweled tiara and too-high heels.






A girl in grade school, hugging her diary with one arm
and her best friend with the other.
An adolescent with a mouth full of metal
and a searching look upon her face
A teenager, dressed in the latest styles, hugging a boy
that she used to know, a giddy look upon her young face
A beautiful bride, glowing with pure joy
as she gazes with meaning into her husbands eyes
A mother gushing about the precious gift of life
which was inside of her until a moment before
I replaced the scratched, used lid,
taking special care
reliving the flood of memories
Showing who I was,
and what made me who I am today.