(i seldom preface my poetry...but this poem seemed to require a little explanation.

my mom & dad were married in 1938. in 1939 he & my mom moved yo corpus christi, tx with 10 cents in their pocket and my dad opened his own business repairing typewriters & other pieces of office equipment of those times.

in 1954 he had done well enough to buy a large building in downtown corpus christi (on a 20 year note from the owner). thru the 50', 60's & 70's the business contunued to prosper. then came the computer age and he never quite caught on. the business began to decline. but he held on until the beginning of 2003, when ill health & old age (for both he & my mom, who passed away last year) made it impossible for them to continue.

we closed the business and finally this may we sold the property. fortunately, the new owner has chosen to "remodel" and keep the buildings heritage (it was built around 1903).

today i went down & picked up the last of the items that we needed or wanted to keep. my mom's passed on, the business is gone but my family & i still have memories & histories packed away in "old boxes".

and that is what this poem is all about.
steve)

old boxes of memories
old boxes of histories
my dad's life
he and his wife
still together
forever
there in
old boxes of memories
old boxes of histories

old boxes of memories
old boxes full of used ta' be's
for 65 years
thru laughter and tears
thru all their fears
they worked together
now all that's left of forever
are old boxes of memories
old boxes full of used ta' be's

old boxes of memories
old boxes full of things you can't sees
sunny days and stormy weather
and they're still together
forever
in old boxes of memories
old boxes full of things you can't sees

old boxes of memories
old boxes of histories
today i took away
all that was left of yesterday
the last of the past
it was a lonely task
but nothing forever can last
'cept old boxes of memories
old boxes of histories

old boxes of used ta' be's
old boxes of things you can't see's