A Titanic




Descending

into the storage box was like seeing

a Titanic

on the bottom of the sea


I 

drop 

layer 

by 

layer

through yellowed envelopes 

overflowing 

photos and negatives 

which darken with age 

and depth 


Pressure rises

pipes begin to rattle and spray

threatening 

the newspaper clippings

report cards, death announcements

            the fragments of genetic strands

now spread about my feet 

as though they'd fallen 

from a great height


On the bottom sits the old house

amazingly uncrushed, porch still unswept

of maple leaves

and Mary, witness to another world 

in button shoes

astride the steps like a masthead 

smiling as she

maps     

my 

bones