A weathered key turned in a worn out lock;

Rusty hinges creak as the lid is gingerly raised,

Aged dust drawn as if by vacuum fills the musty air,

Like so many travellers on their worldly journey.

This steamer trunk long forgotten;

Adorned with France, Belgium, Canada, Japan…

Reminders of its travels and the sights it has seen.

Memories of good times,

Memories of some not so good,

Memories of long nights,

Smoke filled taverns,

Exotic women,

Exhilaration in the unknown,

Glorious sunsets,

Distant shores,

Warm breezes,

Tearful goodbyes,

This musty old trunk, like my mind

Covets memories of days-gone-by.

Perhaps they too are weathered and worn,

Adorned with tattered tags of my life’s travels,

And relegated to a dingy attic,

But they are mine and mine alone

To cherish all the days of my life.

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~