the shed just outside the door

you

have a large storage shed.

there are bins

and boxes

stacked high.

containers of all sizes.

there's an overhead light

with a string

to pull

when you open

the creaky

door and enter.

you brush the cobwebs

aside,

the mice run away

through small

burrowed holes in the wood

as your shoes

touch the floor.

but there's

no cans of peaches here,

no jars

of jam.

there's no sealing wax

applied.

no pickled brine or salted

meat.

it's only memories

that you store

on the thin shelves that

you visit time to time.

even when the mood isn't right.

people you have loved,

are here,

the friends

that are gone. parents,

and pets

of all kinds.

all the faces

and hearts that you have known.

you go in and smile,

sometimes you cry, then you

leave.

you close the door, lock it

for safe keeping,

then go back inside.