tonight i cannot recall

i have this broken-down suitcase
filled w/old photographs

only one latch works
one of the hinges is busted

its surface is scratched
& chipped

the handle is intact , though

on certain nights i grab it
gently set it upon my desk
& one by one, stare at the photos

tonight is one of those nights

i look at the shots & it occurs
to me most of the people are dead
a long, long time

then i come to an image of me
5 years old
standing in a schoolyard

& no matter how much i try
i cannot recall how i sounded then

my god, have i forgotten the voice
of that boy, smiling against
the chainlink fence?

i toss the photograph back
snap the workable latch up

slide the case
back into the closet

i light a cigarette

my heart exhausted
by this trip to nowhere