Haiku Sequence for Nicholas

Betsy Joseph

March 9, 2022

Unearthed from a drawer

Where I search for picture hooks, 

A relic appears.

Not an ancient shard—

Rather a bib from your past.

History unfolds.

Outlined in dark blue,

Quilted –red fire truck on front—

It flaunts stains proudly.

Neat, folded in half,

Faded but not forgotten, 

It speaks to a time:

A time of smeared chin,

Chubby fingers raised to mouth,

And giggles unchecked.

Finder of relics,

Keeper of lost time, I am:

Archaeologist.

Betsy Joseph (Dallas, TX) has poems that have appeared in various journals and anthologies. Her poetry collection, Only So Many Autumns, was published by LULP in 2019. Lamar is also publishing her forthcoming book, Relatively Speaking: Poems of Person and Place, a collaborative collection with her brother, poet Chip Dameron.