Memorabilia

Things that remind you of the people you love…
How long can we actually keep them?
How long can they actually last?

SMS-es, letters, cards…

Daddy’s sarong, Mum’s precious hand mirror;
Birthday gifts from friends, souvenirs from their travels;

That first soft toy from your first love;
That necklace your boyfriend put on your neck…

Your engagement ring, your wedding presents…

Your son’s first blanket, his first pair of shoes;
Your daughter’s first drawing that you put up on the fridge…

Your wife’s facial products that take up more than half the dressing table space;
Your husband’s raggy T-shirt, the one which you hate so much but yet can’t bear to get rid of because it reminds you so much of him when he’s not around…

***
As for the people we love…
How much of them do we retain by keeping things like these when they’re already gone?
How much can they actually help us remember them by?

And what will happen to these things when we ourselves have gone as well?
Will they be given away? Donated? Thrown out as trash?

Sometimes I wonder…
What are the things people remember me by?
Sachets of green tea? My butterfly earrings? All those Christmas gifts I’ve given out?

And when I’m gone, will people still remember me at the sight of those items?
Or would they just pass on in life without a second glance, just like how I do sometimes?