Hypermnesia

taken before my birth,
still they lie beside me as I try to sleep
longing for the sound of a voice never heard
stunted by their absence, no keepsakes, no memorabilia

will walking the streets or forest where they once had life
generate perceptions, smells, or sounds of who they were?
paying homage may soothe the fractured souls
while nothing recaptures what was lost.

Still I have hopes, to claim – re-claim? as things unfold
and learn in the exploration.