The Shoebox

In his home, under his grownup bed, there is a Buster Brown shoe box. Open the lid and one will discover a well loved brown teddy bear. The fur on its left ear is worn down completely and the navy blue button that acts as its left eye is held on by but a thread. There are postcards with airplanes, two buttons with anchors and dog tags from his childhood pet that say Jack London. Dig beyond the postcards and find random keys, an old Crayola crayon (Cadet Blue), a tack pin of a mushroom, plastic dinosaurs, and Hot Rod stickers. A lock of blonde hair tied with a small violet ribbon lays beside a picture of his mother laughing, leading me to believe it is a lock of her hair. At the very bottom of the shoe box is a page torn from a baby name book with Dominique circled, a wrist tag from a hospital's nursery, and a photograph of Chicago that is dated August 1937.