Time for spring cleaning today.
Discard the unwanted baggage collected over the years.

The fine twine of a cobweb shines in the veranda sunlight.
Testament of the long lazy weekends past.
My friend the lizard gazes at me sternly
afraid of losing his breakfast.

Where should I start first.
The ordered chaos of the living room
or the reassuring pile of knick knacks in the garage;
hoarded jealously as the souvenirs of memories long faded.

The wall by my desk marked by phone numbers of friends abandoned;
letters unanswered crammed in the dark.
The rectangle left by the picture frame
below a nail hooked into a question mark.

I have left my memories unventilated too long; harsh, unkind
they steam softly as they draw out from the humid recesses of my mind.
Once the time has gone there’s nothing you can do.
Your best times those that didn’t come through.

I look for an excuse to stop.
The memories are painful, too painful by far.
The ghosts of all my yesterdays haunt me
the things that could have been; the things that are.

Too long have I lingered in shadows
I have to move along.
Things undone, words unsaid;
waiting, waiting for my swan song.

Time for spring cleaning today.
Discard the unwanted baggage collected over the years.