Pen Pails, May 2021

Somewhere

In the world

Exists

a briefcase

old and half broken

that holds the correspondence

of childhood pen pails

and all the sharing

that were spoken

Written in colourful markers

Decorated with stickers

And lovingly sent

Over years

of young exchanges

Before interrupted

By conflict

And in haste

tossed in the garbage

to be lost

forever gone

But fortunately

the friendship itself

Has healed

and carried on

While still one drifts to wonder

if that briefcase ever did return

what stories it might tell

of other lives

it had sojourned