memory box

MEMORY BOX

I am making a memory box
To ease the grief,
Create a palpable alternative
To the howling void.
Something physical to hold.
My box resembles a miniature coffin,
An unintentional slip,
Lift the lid and here’s my dad,
Metamorphosis 2 foot square.
I have the order of service,
The hymns and readings he planned
In the comfort of his sitting room:
A cosy contemplation of mortality
With the nice man from Dignity.
The diary where he noted
The weather,
Doctor’s appointments,
Blood tests,
Trips out with the club,
The date and time of
My next journey south,
‘Jacky’s coming home’.
I select a few holiday photographs
Taken in Buxton next to the fountain,
His thin blue summer jacket,
Tourist leaflets bulging from his pockets,
Mum’s handbag on his shoulder.
The final mementos,
A few weeks before he died,
The Christmas cracker gifts he kept,
A pink plastic ring,
A pencil sharpener
In the shape of a star,
An unused paper hat.



Jacqueline Pemberton