Will you remember that I was there
When he picked you up for that first dance
Will you remember that I wiped away
Those tears through each and every fight

Will you remember the time that I told you
You will remember this always
as the best day of your life

Now remember this, my little girl,
As I will not remember
Time will rob me of my memories
Remember always that I love you

Once upon a time
you stood in your sandbox
next to your sand castle
with a hole in your red tennis shoe
and declared
with a raised clenched fist
that you were "Queen of the World."

Once upon a time
you made mud pies
filled with pebble bits
and covered with dandelion frosting
and offered them for sale
to anyone
having a spare dime.

Once upon a time
you believed you could fly
and everyone
who could hear your true soul
sing
believed
it too.

Today
You need to remember
Once Upon a Time.

 -- Submitted by Diana Johnson from Minnetonka, MN

His hands smelled like Cheerios
When he would tuck me in at night
I later discovered that smell to be
Not my favorite cereal
But his brand of cigarette

 He would stand over me singing
Songs I was sure he had made up
I later discovered the songs to be
Not from my father's heart
But the records that he played

 He told me stories of adventure
He and I were the stars of his tales
I later discovered the stories to be
Not from my father's mind
But the books that he read

 He told me I was his life, his love
Words I doubted in troubled times
I later discovered these words to be
Not from mine or my father's imagination
But the truest thing I've ever known

 -- Submitted by Airen from Dallas, TX

 She flew the winds on angel wings
But left her songs on golden strings
In melodies both far and near
That many souls will stop to hear

She walked away but left her worth
On footsteps tread upon the earth
So that those who cross her path
Hear echoes of a child's laugh

She skipped along a river's edge
And hid behind a garden hedge
I saw her mark upon a tree
And underneath a bandaged knee

She played in grasses of the field
Where happiness would be the yield
She left behind a teacup's fill
Of daisies on a window sill

She went to bed with peace of mind
With good-night kisses pure and kind
Before the hour of morning dew
She left behind a prayer or two

She left the strength of mighty oak
Some childhood thoughts she never spoke
A million kisses to be kissed
A sunny day that will be missed

For what was lost, so much was gained
More joy she brought than grief or pain
She left within each trembling heart
A love that never will depart

The greatest gift she gave the world
Was when her little hands unfurled
Her fingertips on life were such
They left their mark on all she touched

 -- Submitted by Elizabeth Santos from Pottstown, PA

I feel your presence in each room
As if these walls could to me speak.
Your memory lingers within these walls
That seem to not want me to leave.
Your picture sits upon the mantle
And on your pillow at night I sleep.
I seem to feel you everywhere
And wonder if these walls have eyes.
I feel a prisoner entrapped within
For from these walls I find no out.
So each passing day, in here remain,
Within these walls that hold your memory.

-- Submitted by Gloria Sarasin from Trinity, NC

Captured memories
stare back at me
from the pictures in this book
happy smiles
set against blue skies
vacations taken when we were young
the dreams of childhood
forgotten for awhile
then remembered with a rueful smile
I wanted to be an astronaut
a dancer
a fireman
an actress of the first order
my name in lights
my feet on the stage
fame
fortune
easy life
but, those were just childish dreams
never worked for
never realized
but tucked away
here in my book of
memories
photos
and dreams

-- Submitted by Carra Wilmoth from Pearl, MS

The smell of your aftershave
The softness of your touch,
The words of love you whisper
All these thoughts seem to come in a rush.

The clock keeps on ticking
Time is drifting by.
I see the sun is rising
Out of the corners of my eyes.

Yet sleep has eluded me
Once again I did not sleep,
The love we shared was wonderful
These magical memories linger on,

Treasured days we shared together
Lasting long after you have gone.
Precious moments
Trapped in the corners of my mind,
My sweet precious love
These gifts you left behind.

-- Submitted by Gladys Cairo from Bay Shore, Long Island, NY

Clean linoleum ... polished floors ...
close-shut windows ... open doors
Air that's warm ... no breezes blowing ...
Social Hall ...T.V. going
You're in a chair!
Your white hair falling down through space ...
a vacant smile upon your face ...
and you not knowing ...
that I care!

Scraping of rubber shoes in halls
Creaking of trays and plaintive calls
the food looks good ... it smells a treat!
So many people couldn't eat ...
They were not hungry, so they said ...
Dismayed ... the charge nurse shook her head ...
Perhaps she knew ... that all of these
hungered for their memories!

 -- Submitted by Charmian Blatterner from Philo, CA