by Lisa Huddleston

MOVING DAY

Moving out, moving day, moving on

moving the memories of 22 years

to the basement

to wait for another day

 

Boxes of rocks and starfish

legos and puzzles

coins and books

dusty model airplanes and

carefully assembled vessels of Star Wars

long forgotten

 

Treasures and artifacts

of yesterday

repackaged in Rubbermaid tubs

and moved from the closet

to the basement

for now

 

And this is a good thing

very good and very right

hard on a mother’s heart

but good for the boy now man

 

Making room for treasures unseen

opening a space for today

and putting the past in its place

the basement

 

And I must do the same

move the pictures of the boy in a too big ball cap

talking and dreaming and building and collecting

and store them in dehumidified safety

like rocks left in a special hiding place

under the living room chair

 

Not forgotten

not entirely removed

but no longer in the way

of the future

or the vacuum cleaner

or today