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