Souvenirs

The odd things we hold special in old age.

                   Souvenirs.

A old box filled with simple gifts.
Shiny stones from the Big Surf.
Sea shells from the coast of Europe.
Many photo books from the past.

Last book my father read.
Old silver dollars father's collected.
Father's silver stars  from the Korean war.

Souvenirs of the heart.
Held safely away for us to touch in private.

Pictures of beautiful girls who are not forgotten.
Photos of kids who have their own now.
Grandma's  personal diary and her bible.

Grandpa's old newspapers he held with honor.
Letters written to me when I was away in faraway wars.

Each of us have our souvenirs.
They become leftover things to make us remember faces and kind words.

I wonder what will happen to my trinkets?
I took my elders memories and store them in  simple box.
They are precious items to my old heart.

I tell the young. Take something from the people we loved.

Souvenirs of the heart are needed when we need to gain strength from old words
and good memories.

                                    Coyote

Author's Note

Good to hold precious the simple items in a life. One day the simple things we will miss the most..

Reviews

[Lydia Shutter]

What a touching write this is. I have often wondered what will become of my "souvenirs" from relatives my son never knew. Precious mementos I will never part with. Will they be tossed when I am gone because no one will realize their significance? Yes, we do remember the faces, the places, the conversations by looking at them. They are part of our lives. A heartfelt write. Lydi**

[Coyote Poetry]

Souvenirs become more valuable with time. Thank you for reading and the comment.

[Inspiring Writer]

Last line's nicely penned, the whole structure of the write's good. It's a long write but it's a powerful write too... Great job.

[1]

A moving piece. We often take things in life for granted and as I get older I've learned to cherish the simple moments that may never come around again. After all, we are only left to reminisce about what was...... Thanks for the reminder!

[Coyote Poetry]

The small items of our elders become more valuable with time. Thank you for the comment.

[Daisie Vergara (Dhaye)]

"Souvenirs of the heart are needed when we need to gain strength from old words
and good memories."

This is really relevant. Sometimes we hold on to memories of something or someone important who parted with us. Souvenirs make us remember those memories...

Nice poem.

[Coyote Poetry]

We need to have trinkets of our elders. Reminders we were once loved. Thank you for reading and the comment.

[Molly Cara]

I love the penultimate line.

[Sid]

Beautiful write; all my grandparents are gone and it feels really empty every time i go back to my ancestral home, wish i had kept something as a souvenir just to feel them close. We don't realize the importance of those precious gifts till the ones who gave them are gone...great write!

[Coyote Poetry]

You are right. Our elders left a lot with us. We need to have something in hand to believe we had someone who taught us the good ways to live.

[NA]

Beautiful read..I used to love going up in my grandmothers attic and getting out her box of memories from years gone by...enjoyed this :)

[James E. Peterson]

excellent piece.

[Manda]

That was a very beautiful piece. I really enjoyed reading it. I did find one typo I believe. I think you meant to say safely instead of safety, "Held safety away for us to touch in private." Once again another well done piece of work. You have a great way with words and always capture the eyes of your pieces. It is always a pleasure to be able to share and read what you have created so perfectly. Well done indeed!

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you again. I will repair. Thank you for reading and the comment.

[Einstein Noodle]

how very true...i have such things from my great grandparents as well....precious treasure... E