one by one,
with each trip
to minnesota,
they started to appear.
new to me.
new to maddy,
but obviously
only new to
the two of us.
first it was
the bucket of crayons.
then the silk pillow
and matching silk blanket.
then the baton
with the water
and green glitter inside.
this trip?
a plastic doll house
and all the
accessories that
belonged inside.
no one
had to say anything.
i knew they
belonged to
liz
when she was child.
i could tell
the age of each
item simply by
noticing the wear,
but the more
obvious signal
that they belonged
to her was in the
looks her parents
had on their faces
as maddy enjoyed
playing with them.
they were happy.
because these things…
they’re not being
treated as museum relics,
banished to some
storage box never
to be seen again.
they’re in maddy’s hands,
taking the abuse
of another 2.5
year old.
just as they would
have if
liz
were alive.
so as maddy’s crayons
wander off of the paper
and on to the table,
or as maddy’s pillow gets
covered in drool,
or maddy’s baton is used
as a golf club,
or as maddy’s dollhouse
accessories get thrown
from one end of
the room to
the other,
the three of us
can watch,
smiling together,
happy to see
her so happy.