I am a hoarder.

Not of things, but of

memories and stories.

I wrap every memory

that I have

around me like a blanket.

I intertwine stories

I have been told

around my ribcage.

I paint every stolen moment

on the back of my hands

so I can learn

never to forget them.

I let the words flow

through my bloodstream

until I am nothing but

a collection of moments,

a collection of stories,

a collection of lives

that I have not yet lived.

(a.y)