Persistence

There is a sorting as the years pass
A choosing happens
Establishing an order
Of  things we keep
And things that must be let go
Objects totemic
That flow with us
Through our time and space
A temporal persistence
Tactile
Visceral.

I have a baseball glove
A leather lefty
Folded and creased
Sweat stained
Scented and storied.
My hand knows how it feels
Before I slip it over my fingers.
I’ve kept it
And it keeps me.

It’s been many years
Since the last game of catch,
Still it’s a living thing,
Now relegated to the back of a closet,
Or
Boxes in attics
Or
Storage units.

In my day-to-day reality
It has been long gone
But not forgotten.
It seems that I will never let it go.
It is a place holder
A memory marker
A man maker
A dream keeper.