Memories | Teen Ink

Memories

October 19, 2012
By Gecko GOLD, Lafayette, Oregon
Gecko GOLD, Lafayette, Oregon
11 articles 0 photos 28 comments

Favorite Quote:
"When all else fails, make your character fall down a hole," -Libba Bray, at Powell's in Portland, Oregon


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


The author's comments:
This poem is about my Uncle Phil, who died in 2010. His memory will live in our family forever

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Mckay ELITE said...
on Aug. 30 2013 at 5:17 pm
Mckay ELITE, Somewhere, Virginia
146 articles 0 photos 2230 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do."
—Apple’s “Think Different” commercial, 1997
“Crazy people are considered mad by the rest of the society only because their intelligence isn't understood.”
― Weihui Zhou

Awww. This is so sad. I'm very touched that your late uncle inspired this poem. Sometimes tragedies inspired that best works unfortunately. I'm sure that your uncle would be proud of this poem. You detailed him with warmth and kind emotion. Very sweet poem.