An empty black suitcase. Candles with
pearlescent white wicks. Untouched.
Pictureless picture frames. Books with folded
corners and broken spines.
Plates that once were spotless and silver
that have lost their sheen.
Mirrors missing the reflection of
a once familiar face. No longer
a need for it. Brown leather shoes in
size nine. Soles worn and abused.
Rows of neatly hung jeans like
denim skeletons absent of clinging flesh.
Grandpa’s favorite chair, now cold.
The scent of cigars still lingering between its cushions.
A gift for mom. Taken for granted and replaced
with something new, something better.
A memory that can never be relived. Forgotten.
A lamp in desperate need of a home to illuminate.
Amanda Sciandra is an undergraduate Creative Writing student at Stockton University, where she is a student of Stockton’s editing internship. She works as a high school substitute teacher and lives with her parents and ginormous dog. She is just beginning to send
work out for publication.