The Matchbooks

By Andrew R. Duckworth

He had a matchbook collection
Full of places long gone,
Faces long gone,
Stardust Casino, Candidates,
History preserved in a logo.
He never smoked,
But he collected those matchbooks.
Can’t find them nowadays,
I’ve tried.
Every once in a while,
I’ll strike gold
And see them in baskets
On a checkout counter.
Dad, someday,
Someday, I’ll show my children
Where I’ve been too.