Childhood memories scattered about the yard
Lili has put them there
From the bags in the basement
She has brought them up the bulkhead stairs

In the far back near the fence
I see a piece of yellow
Underneath dead leaves hides my sand shovel
All the castles I built with you
At Silver Lake, Greenfield State Park and York Beach to name a few

By a tree sits a plastic pumpkin
Scarred by time and Lili’s chomping
Every Halloween I would have strangers fill you
With candy by the handful

For my nerves I must stop looking
Though I know that there’s more out there
My dog has upset me deeply
Ruining things that are not hers

Perhaps we should’ve stored these items better
Put them in the attic or our rooms
Saved them for our future children
Willed them to be placed with us in our tombs

Then again Lili looks so happy playing with her discoveries
Will a few tooth marks really devalue a single one of these things?
In truth she knew no better
Can I fault her for having a curious mind?
Our memories are forever intact for it’s our hearts they dwell inside