i never knew

at the end
of each life
someone finds
the box
that tells more
than you want
or need to know.
it's never out
in the open,
or under the bed
or in the closet,
deep. it's
in a darker place.
the far corner
of the attic,
the wet cellar.
nearly forgotten
but almost always
found and opened
with a gasp
and the words,
oh my,
i never knew.