Traveller

I discovered
a time machine
travelled back
and saw you sitting
beneath that tree
went searching for
my mum and dad
caught nothing more
than a fleeting glimpse of
their childhood

saw unicorn
and grace and belle
sunshine moments
framed forever
half forgotten

there are places
it will not take me
places where
I must use
my own resources

I stood a long while
upon the lake shore
by the house boat
saw distinctly the sapphire flash
was overwhelmed by the smell
of sandalwood and rose oil
overwhelmed by
tears

decades traversed
in a few twilight hours
the journey ended where it started
with a handful of photographs
in a box
my time machine