Of What Has Come Before

Though they are now far behind
You may at times
Find yourself haunted
By the memories
Of what has come before

You walk on ashen earth
The framework of your former life
Smoldering slowly around you
These structures familiar
Only in your mind
As they are now but shells of their former selves

There is a time for reminiscence
For processing what has passed
But there is a time for moving on as well
For finding new grounds
For building a new life
And forging new memories
To serve as a replacement
As well as a reminder
Of what has come before
As well as what is still to come.