by Cheryl, Gulf Coast Poet

Candy Box

Box of Chocolates, Photo by Monique Carrati from Unsplash

Candy Box

A gold foil candy box

was my treasure chest;

candy was a sweet gift,

but the box was the best!

I filled it with love letters

and treasured photos

collected over a period

of five years or so.

I carried the box around

for more than fifty years.

This year, the box fell apart,

and I didn’t shed any tears.

I looked at the photos,

read the letters once more,

put them all in the trash,

and walked out the door.

We moved to our new house,

vowing we’d never move again.

Memories fade, but the photos

and letters are burned on my brain.

I remember a boy with slicked-back

hair and a crooked grin

and a handsome football player

who wanted me to marry him.

Then there was a fearless boy

who helped me learn to drive

and several others who

passed through my life.

I put the box away

when I married at eighteen…

and now the mementos are gone,

but the memories remain.

Copyright© 2020 by Cheryl Batavia

62 Comments

  3. Why not recycle boxes and jars and such?
    But as for relationships, we do move on and it’s best to leave the scraps of the old ones behind, eventually. As the petals fall from the rose, to make way for new life, so those who pass through our life do not always stay. What we learn from each experience and each person is woven into the fabric of our lives, hopefully making us wiser and stronger for the rest of our lives.

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  4. Nice one Cheryl. Lovely use of words. I too personally buy boxes of all shapes and sizes and made of different materials, just to use them. Not for their chocolates !! ☺️

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  7. This is great! I absolutely believe in making room for the future by releasing the past, and have done something similar myself at various points in my life. Awesome write!!

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    1. Yes, Kate, it worked out OK. We have a wonderful daughter and were married for eighteen years before parting friends. My second husband died after18 years together. The next twelve years were spent raising our two children. I met Robert on Plenty of Fish six wonderful years ago. Along the way, I completed my education and taught school for twenty years. My life has been challenging and rewarding. What more could you ask for?

      Thank you so much, Kate, for your thoughtful, insightful comments. I appreciate your dropping by and reading my poem. Stay safe and happy! Cheryl

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      1. worked 3 jobs while still at school to travel, saw more than 30 countries before I was 22yo. Then did my studies while still working, worked as a professional for nearly 30 years. Took a few years off for meditation and now volunteer and commune with nature 🙂

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    3. Thank you, Kate, for the update. You seem to have lived a very full life, indeed! Very ambitious and adventurous, followed by meditation, writing, and volunteering. It sounds like the “full experience” to me! You have explored both the external and internal worlds! Stay safe and happy! Cheryl

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    1. Kritika, I always look forward to reading your kind and insightful comments. It means a lot to me that you liked this poem. I enjoyed getting to know more about Kate. As you say, she is amazing…a driving force!

      I like your new Gravatar photo. When I write, I sit where I can look out of the windows as you are doing in the photo. Take care! Cheryl

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      1. It means a lot to me that you appreciate and support me always. You are awesome (Hugs).
        I sit on the floor for my work and the light from the window fills the room which makes me feel calm. I see the clouds from the morning to evening through this window.
        Thank you Cheryl for being so awesome and loving. (Heart)
        Take care and be healthy 🙂

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  16. This is a breathtaking poem, Cheryl. It is important to let go of the past sometimes to make room for the present. However, the memories of young love and adventure always remain with us. I think I might get myself a candy box, too. Haha!

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    1. Murali, Thank you so much for always taking the time to read and comment. It means so much to me!

      I think memories are selective. My sister and I recall some of the same events of our childhood…but the details are different! (: Things are going OK here. I hope you are doing well. Cheryl

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