Yesterday's Lace

Oh how I ache for it
In the hollows of my bones
and deep in the black of my eyes.
I yearn for what is gone.
My hands reach out to grasp it,
but with empty palms and fading prospect
I let my fingernails dig deep into my skin.
I cannot hold onto it.
Memories fade rapidly,
children’s chalk art in the rain.
The colors aren’t as crisp,
faces become blurry and distant.
It’s easier this way,
but how it hurts to move on.
There is something ghostly about it all,
 almost seeing things I know cannot be.
Flickering moments glowing dimly
in the chambers of my heart and mind.
I am haunted by the elapsed existence
of what use to be.
But I will not let it take me.
Memory will not be the end of me.
I sort through every instant,
keeping only the lovely and noble,
demanding the dim and daunting away.
With clear eyes and strong bones,
I embellish tomorrow
with yesterday’s lace.