Caleb wandered through the overgrown garden, drawn by thoughts of what lay hidden there. Pushing through a tangle of vines, he found himself standing on the shore of a large lake.
Mist drifted across the still surface of the water, which reflected the clouded sky in shades of grey. An air of melancholy hung over the place.
Caleb walked slowly around the edge of the lake. With each step, images arose unbidden in his mind - fragments of memories both distant and recent, belonging to him yet also to others. It was as if the very stones carried echoes of the past.
Pausing, he spotted a small boat moored to a rotting pier. Caleb climbed in and took up the oars, pushing away from shore.
As he rowed out onto the lake, more memories surfaced - of childhood days spent climbing trees, of late night conversations and heartbreaks. Faces long forgotten appeared before him, laughing and crying and singing songs.
Tears sprang to Caleb's eyes as memories of his departed mother came floating back, clear as if it happened yesterday. Her smile, her embrace - the way the whole world seemed contained within her loving gaze.
Then all at once the mist lifted, revealing a brilliant blue sky overhead. Ripples danced across the surface of the now sunlit lake, carrying away thegrey clouds of sadness.
Caleb rowed back to shore, heart full yet somehow lighter now. For in remembering, he found new strength to go on.
Mirror of years gone by,
Past dreams shimmering high,
Yet future still unknown.
Memories surface unbidden
From depths long hidden,
Forgotten yet not gone.
Faces rise from watery graves
As laughter echoes
Across forgotten waves.
Tears fall like rain
On cheeks once again
As old wounds reopen.
But joy returns too
In remembrance true,
Of love that time cannot steal.
And mist lifts at last
Revealing a future
Anchored in the past.
For new sight comes
When blind eyes have seen
What they thought forgotten.
The lake renders up
What waters hold deep,
In blessing and release.
Hope is reborn
From memories -
The soul's imperishable joy.