The Smell of Cedar

As I lift the lid
The Smell of Cedar
Overtakes me

After all these years
The tiny blanket
Still remains
Stained with tears
Swollen with muted cries
Swaddling the ghost
Of an innocence lost

To be born of this
Is to be given
To the dark
To the silence
To the footsteps
To the breathing
To the places
Your mind takes you
To escape
To not feel
To lose yourself
To a life
Of walls
Silence
Darkness
Lonely footsteps
And words unspoken

I close the lid
Tell the man
With the truck
To take everything

As I walk away
The smell of cedar
Remains
As always
A haunting reminder
Of someone
Who was once
Just a little kid