THE TARNISHED SILVER CHEST

There it stood in the corner
Holding treasures from the past
I couldn’t seem to recall
When it was opened last
My gaze fell on it this morning
The now tarnished silver chest
Where memories of the years gone by
Were carefully put to rest
I sat down beside my treasure chest
That was now layered with dust
I fumbled with the stubborn lock
That had long begun to rust
It finally broke open
The dust blew in my face
I undid the long forgotten latch
And my pulse began to race
What would I find inside?
After so many years
Would it bring back to me again
Those smiles and those tears?
There lay my precious diary
That from you I’d always hide
I’d laugh to see you wonder
What secrets it held inside
I now wish I had told you
Id wish I’d let you see,
For pressed between the pages lay
The flowers you’d given me
And the little notes we passed in class
When we sat side by side
And the smiley face you’d drawn for me
Once when I had cried
It held my deepest secrets
I’d treasured them like gold
Secrets that I now wish
I hadn’t left untold
An old pile of letters
Dated some years ago
They held promises to keep in touch
In strokes of indigo
Those years seem like forever now
The ink’s begun to fade
Just like all those dim memories
And promises you made
There were bundles of cards
All tied with a string
More precious than a diamond
That pretty paper ring
My gaze fell on a picture
In a pretty silver frame
I wonder if I saw you now
Would I still feel the same?
I sat still and quiet
With a smile on my face
Lost in happy memories
Of a different time and place
Then finally, now satisfied
I put those things away
Safe in my chest of memories
Where forever they will stay