To Pack a Box by Olivia Nieb

To Pack a Box

by Olivia Nieb

You can pack up a box when it’s time to move on,

Fill it with items you’ll want when you’re gone.

You can pack and keep packing ‘til every room clears,

But you can’t pack a box to hold fifteen years.

You can pack up a box full of markers and crayons,

Stick-people drawings and traced-around hands.

You can pack stacks of paper with scribbles and smears,

But you can’t pack a box to hold fifteen years.

You can pack up a box full of Legos and dolls,

Barbies and Slinkies and old Wiffle balls.

You can pack up some pictures and small souvenirs,

But you can’t pack a box to hold fifteen years.

You can pack up a box full of glasses and plates,

Dishes that held all the suppers you ate.

You can pack recipes that you made for your dears,

But you can’t pack a box to hold fifteen years.

You can pack up a box full of hand-quilted crafts,

Blankets and afghans that stifled your laughs.

You can pack all the quilts that you cuddled in tears,

But you can’t pack a box to hold fifteen years.

You can pack up a box full of everyday things

And remember the joys and the sorrows life brings.

You can pack until all you’ve once known disappears,

But you can’t pack a box to hold fifteen years.