.
Storehouse of Memories
My memory seems worst of foes
when conjuring the times she knows
will hurt me worse than fist-thrown blows
__and bring hot tears.
When memory is best of friends,
sweet thoughts of blissful times she sends
and, with her powers, soothes and mends,
__herself endears.
Rose-colored glasses, I don’t own.
Reality, I’ve always known,
may morph from soft to hard as stone,
__from peace to fears.
I’m grateful for my memories;
they serve as life’s accessories
and form my unique tapestries
__of sighs and cheers.
.
.
Janice Canerdy is a retired high-school English teacher from Potts Camp, Mississippi. Her works have appeared in several publications, including Society of Classical Poets Journal (and online) Spirit Fire, Light, The Road Not Taken, Lyric, Parody, Bitterroot, Westward Quarterly, Lighten Up Online, Better Than Starbucks, Saturday Evening Post, Encore (journal of the National Federation of State Poetry Societies), The Mississippi Poetry Society Journal, Your Daily Poem, and LIVE (by Gospel Publishing House). Her first book, Expressions of Faith (Christian Faith Publishing), was published in December 2016.
Conjures up a lot of nice thoughts. Thanks, Janice.
Thank you so much, Paul! Janice
I love the imagery in the last stanza. Tapestries of sighs and cheers!
Thank you so much, Rachel. Janice
Memories are indeed life’s accessories. And especially golden are those of our dear departed. Thank you.
So true! Thannks, Tonia. Janice
Loved it. Much needed, for me. Thanks for your beautiful thoughts and words.
Thanks so much for your kind words, Rohini! Janice
I’m so glad I came back to this poem a second time.
Each stanza taking a different angle on memories really hit home and covered all aspects of ‘memories’. As already commented on, the ‘accessories’ and ‘tapestries’ imagery added tremendously to the poem’s impact.
Then of course there’s the rhyming scheme and format of each stanza. Perfect.
Thanks for the read, Janice.
Janice,
I like this short and sweet poem. The rhyme scheme you chose seems to weave it satisfying together like the very tapestry of memories you describe.