gifts that i have from people that aren't in my life anymore
remind me of dust in an empty jar
when we moved i planned to use it for something besides dust
but i never did
i was too busy living life
the jar is my grandmother
she still sends cards
well, they're in her name
dates for our birthdays (if she still remembers)
we visitted the cemetery and we found out aunt Coreen died
should i compare this to a gift from a past lover
a vessel for something dead
a pressed flower
potpourri
i don't want to think of the structure of absense of her memories
none of us do
that is why we treat her like a gift
of a past lover
locked away
but not thrown away