For Ken ... In memory of Cali

He sits looking out the window
Knowing he must cope somehow
In his lap, he holds a wooden box
With her treasures tied in a bow



She always called it her keepsake box
And added things through the years
Opening the lid for the very first time
His saddened eyes well up with tears



Everything has been sad but hectic
In the weeks that she's been gone
The place they shared for so many years
Is just a house now; not a home



He looks at her treasures one by one
And is amazed at what she kept
Every little thing with a memory all its own
Her loss so hard to accept



The box's every nook and cranny
Tells of the years they shared
But the question must go unanswered
Of why she died and he was spared



Alas, ours is not to wonder why
But, rather, to accept God's will
As long as her memory is kept alive
His beloved is with him still



Closing the lid, he caresses the top
As a teardrop glides down his cheek
The box shall remain forever closed
For its treasures are only hers to keep



Kathleen McCoy Eldridge
© September 23, 2011
All Rights Reserved