Coloring pages
Spread out across the table
An inviting view
Even for the cat
That sheds long hairs onto the crayons
Splayed out for display
The ghost of a man lays slumped
In a cushioned chair
Faded eyes trained on another memory
Three small girls
Scrambling to seize
The waxy color of their choice
He smiles fondly
Fingers drumming on the arm of the chair
Before melting back into the past


My Uncle Phil
With his towering monkey tree
And friendly house
Leads me through his twisting garden
Selecting smooth stones
And rugged shells
To press into my small hands
He grins
And I gasp in delight
His sincere, gentle words
Painting pictures of adventure
Into my youthful mind
But this memory, too
Escapes my grasp
And flies to meet forgotten friends


I try to hold on to
What I can before they all roam off,
Seeking freedom
From a mind so cluttered with modern ponderings
That it forgets the most important things
I know how my thoughts
Push away these priceless memories
Of happiness
That I had with my favorite uncle
With a heavy heart
I unlock another caged memory’s door
And watch it flutter away
Before looking down into my uncle’s face
It is still and lonely
A captured moment of pain
Before his last breaths
As I turn away
A tear slides down my cheek
And I don’t bother to wipe it away