Vital

moments gone cold

I sometimes have cried over the memories lost -
the moments gone cold -
the ones lost in time and never documented
no matter how sun kissed they felt

The memories of Baptist grandmothers -
who don't recall just who you are,
their famous biscuit recipe, or how to make the holy oil -
that they put on your forehead for good health

The memories of children -
that get lost in translation
them making wishes on dandelions and birthday candles from cakes that weren't even theirs
- them having dreams so much larger than them

The memories of lost loved ones
unsolved mysteries, ancestry, closure, and heart ache
- forever too fresh to put on paper
but so far back in history that it'll never get the chance

I have memories of my mother and sister
I am the only one left to remember them
they feel like secrets, some actually are,
I don't want them to die with me