These I count among my treasures, these jeweled wings
gathered from the pathways and grasses I walked on summer days.
I keep them in the back corner of a drawer of the old dresser
in the spare room, tucked between other precious prizes–
the carved ivory animals, the silk and bamboo fans,
my first son’s first shoe, the card that announced his birth.
It’s good, I’ve found, to keep a few mementos,
tangible tokens of your journey through this world,
of the hours you spent, the places you’ve seen,
the company you kept, and of gifts that fell like love notes
floating from the heavens on their tender jeweled wings.