putting her life in storage

when

i helped her move out of her rental

apartment,

she had

twenty-seven plastic

bins

filled up

with a thousand pictures

and receipts.

plastic baby spoons,

and cracker jack

rings.

mementos

and unusual strands

of strings.

she had her son's

first diaper

in one.

used Band-Aids,

and bandages

that ex-husbands

and her

married boyfriend had used.

hairbrushes still

holding

their hair,

and the face towels

they used.

there was one bin

filled with only

their left behind shoes.

there were coasters

from bars.

napkins pressed

with lipstick

kisses.

frayed underwear,

his and hers,

and half eaten candy bars.

it was a yard

sale, a flea market.

a strange collection of her

even stranger

life.

bizarre.