it’s not hard to imagine
a forgotten space
a basement, an attic, a sealed-off room
filled with mystery
memories
treasure
bygone emotions

if I put myself to the task
I can smell the musty air
hear the dust as it drifts in the breeze of my passing
feel the cobwebs brushing against my face
like a rare antiquarian bookstore
or a post-apocalypse museum
dim light casting few shadows
on unremembered beauty

crack the window
fresh air rushes in to explore with me
a lone beam of sunshine accompanies
reflecting off a shard of partially covered mirror
and strikes an old prism pendant
rainbow dots dancing across
memories
treasure
bygone emotions
and everything becomes a little clearer
more radiant
more joyous
more alive

open the frame further
further
further
until the window meets sill
from lone beam to flood
hell, shatter the frame
let loose the floodgates
let sun inundate the forgotten
shadow gives way to luminescence

memories and treasure and emotions
more alive than ever imagined
more color than ever thought possible
and the warmth on my skin
and the pure outside air
invigorating
reminding me
not all things
are lost
forever