I am a walking memorial of every person
who has loved me
and that I have loved.

I keep pieces of every soul that walk into my life.

I collect books from past loves,
never opening the pages because their lives lay safely inside,
their love hidden amongst the words.
On my shelf they stay,
the memory of their love comforting me and reminding me that
love
and life,
go on.

I collect pictures of friends and strangers who have shaped me into the person I am today.
Hidden away in a box across the room,
the memory of their absence haunting me,
but in my mind
and actions,
they live on.