Give me something that

stays right where

I left it.

Give me time on a wrist watch

Chapters marked with

satin ribbons.

Give me letters looped with

black scratches on

yellowed paper.

Give me recipe cards splatter-

stained and dog-eared

cookbooks, powdered with

flour and cocoa and

birthday cakes past.

Give me memories stowed

away in shoeboxes, of

ferry rides, and rainy day

visits to the museum.

Right where

I left them.