A Memory of the Forgotten

I sit outside of a quiet church on a rickety bench, 

worn from the weather and wet from the rain. 

It has seen its time;

turned grey from stress and grievance like the rest of us. 

A memorial garden, over-run with weeds. 

A commemorative plaque, beaten down over time and hidden among the brush. 

The remnants of a name are barely legible. 

A mark of the forgotten. 

A narrow cobble stone path, winding into a small circle. 

Crooked, uneven, and covered in a strong growth of thick moss, 

bright green against the dark, solemn rock. 

Crisp brown leaves strewn about, 

landing on the ground in their last attempt to escape the brisk autumn gusts, 

stuck there from the rain. 

They did not get to escape. 

They sank, lower than where they started from. 

Still, it is a change of scenery. 

Signs of budding life still fresh and limitless.

Bright, luminescent pink petals from a nearby bush scattered about, 

like the prints of tender kisses. 

They stick to the hidden reminders of those who've passed. 

Names not remembered. 

Not recognized. 

Huge, dark windows stained with colors bright from the opposite side.

 I cannot see their colors.

I cannot see their faces, but merely their figures,

barely distinguishable from the outside.

They blend with the foreboding darkness;

a completely different world.

An empty street holds the footsteps which remain untaken;

the steps of those who forget to remember.

Footsteps that have yet to leave a trace,

not even a memory.

They echo as a reminder of whats been forgotten.

Silence, except for the chilling wind.

Whispers of the voices that can no longer make themselves heard.

The rain pricks my skin,

tears falling from the unseen.

Trying to renew, but failing and falling.

The bench has become hard and unwelcoming;

I have overstayed my visit.

I get the feeling that I am one of few who venture this way.

Maybe I'll remember.

The rain falls harder.

It is now time for me to leave.

My time in the light of memory is over,

I must step into the shadows;

Shadows of memories of the forgotten.