Descending

into the storage box was like seeing

a Titanic

on the bottom of the sea

I

drop

layer

by

layer

through yellowed envelopes

overflowing

photos and negatives

which darken with age

and depth


Pressure rises

pipes begin to rattle and spray

threatening

the newspaper clippings

report cards, death announcements

the fragments of genetic strands

now spread about my feet

as though they'd fallen

from a great height


On the bottom sits the old house

amazingly uncrushed, porch still unswept

of maple leaves

and Mary, witness to another world

in button shoes

astride the steps like a masthead

smiling as she

maps    

my

bones