We don't see

Until hindsight

Provides us a prescription

How every beginning

Contains its own ending

In perfect size and proportion

The little bricks

We love so much

We call them our "foundation"

Quickly turn to bombs

A bit later on

When it's time for demolition

I catch a glimpse in window

forlorn and dusty antique shop

cajoling me to enter

“life lies within you”

I hear the sighs of bygone days

feel the vibrations of lifeblood past

encountered with the promise

of whispered stories buried within

life anew with treasured memories

cradled in calloused hands

peel away grime of distant age

splintered crafts and rings of rust

gnawed edges and burning stories

faded photos lost forever

wooden boxes with letters inside

on loan to me for lifetime

gathering place of well-worn lives

living life backwards

with ancient breath

of faded reminiscence.