Letter To My Daughter (Poetry)

I’ve saved the stuff you left behind —
those long-forgotten things —
the books, the shoes, the teenage clothes
like old discarded skins

They’re boxed and labelled with your name
I kept my promise true
that I would never throw away
what once belonged to you

So many years have come and gone —
the waiting’s cost me dear
the only proof I have of you
is what’s abandoned here

Just boxes gathering more dust
the tears dried long ago
I doubt you value what is past
but wish you’d let me know

There’s part of me that’s keen to rid
this burden from my mind
yet I’m aware I’m bound to keep
the truth you left behind