Never Forget Poem by MacGregor Tagliaferro

She hesitated; then opened the door
The room was simple, orderly, tasteful
A bed, desk, bookcase, table, leather chairs
She stood for a moment, takin' it in
The strong presence and the familiar scents;
Sandalwood, cedar, leather, crisp linen
She opened the closet, turned on the light
Inside; pairs of well polished cowboy boots
Custom cowboy hats, suits, starched jeans and shirts
She reached for a starched shirt and held it close
And really fought to hold her composure
Then, at the bookcase, a picture amidst
Poetry books and leather bound journals
A picture of them; younger and happy
She took it and sat down at the table
Her emotions comin' apart, she placed
The picture next to a sealed envelope
With her name written in his hand writing
Then; she looked at the crystal decanter,
Engraved with his initials, almost full
Of what looked like, no doubt, bourbon
Probably his preferred single barrel
Suddenly, she really needed a drink
Though she'd not had any whisky in years
Hands shakin', she poured the fragrant nectar
Slowly into a matchin' crystal glass
Before she could stop, she had a small sip
The sweet, creamy burn jolted her senses
Then she had another and another
With her newfound amber colored courage
She rapidly opened the envelope,
Took out the enclosed letter and read it
Then finally; the emotions poured out
All the pain and the said and unsaid words
All of the tears, all of the memories
All of the years, the good times, the bad times
She let it all go and it all came out

She tried to sleep that first night in his bed
Risin' the next mornin', tired, hungover,
With a strong cup of coffee, she drove south,
Down the dirt road, over the cattle guard,
Turned left where tire tracks cut their way across
The pasture and stopped at the metal gate
Then with a determined purpose, as if
Any hesitation would prevent her
From doin' what she knew she had to do:
Out of the truck, opened the gate, walked through,
Past the silver, metal angel statue,
Stopped; and stared at the freshly covered grave
Heart poundin', out of a pocket she took
An envelope and kneeled beside the mound
As the tears fell on the dirt, the wind blew
And carried these words across the canyon
I love you, I will never forget you

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