A lifetime of memories

Tucked inside a shoebox

More than half empty

Waiting for years

you will never grow to see

A yellow rubber duck still sits on the edge of the bathtub

A plastic dinosaur lay on your bedroom floor

As if you will return at any moment

And with a little imagination

It isn't hard to see

You growing a little bit older

Running down a football field or kicking a soccer ball

But that will never be

For eternally you dream

I find a light, almost empty shoebox. It only had two odd items in it. An old, yellow rubber duck was all I had left of her. I only had a deflated soccer ball to remember him by. Time had gone by, way faster than I could have ever expected. I remember feeling slight glimpses of this realization, but they did not prepare me for this. The dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets were from a lifetime ago. The high school games with a football field's worth of people... That was already gone, faded into nothingness, not like I thought those were important anyways. My children were fantastic children... They were just entering adulthood...

Were.

Mars has always been a bit of a jock. You know that. Your sisters know that. Everyone knows that. And yet, the compact ball if muscle and anger always plays soccer on the football field. Like he's telling everyone "Whatcha gonna do about it?"

That's where you find him after school, kicking around a soccer ball aimlessly as he blasts heavy rock through the chunky red headphones on his head. His dark hair and tan skin glisten softly with sweat in the sunlight.

Your little sister, Europa, has an empty shoebox - you just bought her some new sandals - in her hands, imagination rampant. She'll occasionally stop you and point out a cloud, always shaped like some kind of dinosaur. "They're all very pretty, E," you assure, and at that moment, Mars looks up, puzzled by you and your sister being here.

"What the fuck're you doin here, Jupe?" You frown at that, huffing "It's Jupiter, and you know it." Europa glares up at Mars - she's one of the only three people shorter than him; her, your sister Io, and a girl in your class named Pluto.

Your baby sister sets down her shoebox, crosses her arms. Mars quirks a tiny half-grin at her adorable anger. You do too, you can't help it. Before she can get "mad," you scoop her up and set her on your wide shoulders. She laughs, anger gone, and drapes her arms around your neck for a hold.

"Have you seen Pluto? She left her hoodie in the Science room again." Mars snorts, examining grimy fingernails. Yours are perfectly clean, thanks to weekly manicures. Unmanly, but you like them nonetheless. "Ain't seen her, Jupe, sorry. Should ask her beau. They're prob'ly fuckin like bunnies somewhere." You frown again, correcting him "She's asexual, and you know it, Aries."

Mars scowls as you drop his nickname, glaring up at you with his classically-fiery anger. "Knock it the fuck off, ZEUS." Your narcoleptic sister's asleep, thank goodness. Gently, you set her down on the soft grass, then grab Mars by a fistful of sweaty tanktop. "I am Jupiter. Not Zeus. Not Jupe. Jupiter."

"And I'M Mars, got it?" he practically spits, snarling. You drop him. You spot a yellow rubber duck on his boxers. "I'll find her myself," you sigh, picking up your sister again before heading out. You can tell Mars is rolling his eyes at you. But you have to return Pluto's damn hoodie first.