EVERYWHERE I GO

Everywhere I go there is a memory.
Under trees, among flowers, whether rain or sun
Childhood friends come to mind
Providing glimpses of the past.

Everywhere I go there is a memory.
Jacks, marbles, Handy Over, jump rope, Red Rover
Games on a summer eve
Enthusiasm unbridled.

Everywhere I go there is a memory.
All dressed in funny costumes, bobbing for apples
Heads dunked in amusement
Uncontrolled laughter all night long.

Everywhere I go there is a memory.
Swimming pools and sunshine, summer friends together
Sharing untold secrets
Holding court in drive-in movies.

Everywhere I go there is a memory.
Hot, sticky summer nights, waiting by the window
Undeserved loneliness
Stood up by beau of the moment.

Everywhere I go there is a memory.
Down a dusty road on a summer afternoon
Light filtering through leaves
Casting sparkles on the water.

Everywhere I go there is a memory.
Negative experience from first full-time job
Back stabbing and gossip
Doesn't fit professional life.

Everywhere I go there is a memory.
In a solemn room on a sunny day in fall
Holding tight to a friend
Weeping for the love of her life.

Everywhere I go there is a memory.
Worn out scripts, late night rehearsals under bright lights
Be sure to hit your mark
Nervousness turns to excitement.

Everywhere I go there is a memory.
Glorious voices sing out heartfelt joy from the soul
Prep for Sunday service
In an empty sanctuary.

Everywhere I go there is a memory.
Blue skies, sandy beaches, palm trees gently swaying
Far from all familiar
Refreshes body and spirit.

Everywhere I go there is a memory.
Imagined weeping of innocence lost to assult
Never reaching for help
Unable to tell of terror.

Everywhere I go there is a memory.
Typewriters give way to computers and software
Anxious about learning
Holding tight to old ways.

Everywhere I go there is a memory.
Beautiful babies grown to delightful adults
So pleasant and intelligent
Products of all they encountered.

Everywhere I go there is a memory.
City in the sky on a far off mountain top
Gaining understanding
From an ancient ionosphere.

Everywhere I go there is a memory.
Bustling office atmosphere creates illusion
Cooperation lost
To encouraged competition.

Everywhere I go there is a memory.
Education stretched over twenty-seven years
Eleven institutions
Achieving the ultimate goal.

Everywhere I go there is a memory.
Gravestones glisten with drops of rain and falling tears
Holding you in my heart
Praising your gift of life to me.

Everywhere I go there is a memory.
Mystical place creating quiet solitude
West side of east mountain
Away but not too far from town.

Everywhere I go there is a memory.
Living in the woods yields a flood of memories
Sitting by the campfire
Attending with an open mind.

K K McClelland
February 11, 2000