Dancing in the halls of oblivion
could be the fate of these aging papers,
were it not for my determined perseverance,
my imaginative declarations of their lasting significance
for enthusiastic researchers yet to be born.
I carefully extract them from clearly labeled boxes
filled with community bulletins, advertising blasts,
personal gratitude notes, and unopened envelopes
from the last century. The contents of over three hundred
collections of what I once thought worth saving shout
at me, all arguing their merit to escape the eagerly waiting
recycling bins. I struggle to find the questions that will help
me distinguish an archival treasure from dispensable trash.
Is there a future for you beyond igniting a personal memory light?
Will transforming you into digital units make you more accessible
or even more hidden? Is there a new home that will value
your physical presence, or has your current manifestation
become too cumbersome and expensive to preserve?
Simply put, to what future do you belong, now and forever more?