Passed down from generation to generation
a special object of past and future affections
dust covered and worn from times harsh embrace
a glimpse into past lives barely known
like touching some distant soul
the smiles and the tears you must have seen
the laughter of children who have long since passed
history that has been etched upon your veneer
I touch your surface and close my eyes
to imagine all the hands that have brushed against you
a mothers soft caring caress to clean you
a sons and daughters subtle scratches
leaving marks of use and abuse for all to see
a fathers work worn hands to repair you
like a window to another time and place
an heirloom to be passed to me and from me
of lives lived and lives yet to be born
