In the back of my closet,
there were two boxes of t-shirts:
favorites from high school and college
that I thought I'd want to keep forever.
As I sift through them,
unfolding one, then another,
holding my sentimentality up to the light,
I find several I don't know why I kept,
a few whose stories have been spoiled by
more recent associations,
and many I wore for special occasions and photos.
They are stretched, faded, and threadbare,
in sizes and styles that could never fit me again.
There is nothing worth donating
[no one wants my leftovers]
and I am left with a decision:
I could cut out my favorite patterns,
mend the holes and tears,
and weave the scraps into a quilt of fonder memories
for cold and lonely nights;
or I could let go of my past
and take the boxes to the curb.

At best, love, you are patchwork.
At worst, ashes.
But thanks for stopping by.

11/25/2015

Posted on 12/05/2015
Copyright © 2025 Meredith C Hartwell