Echoes that Remain

In quiet hours where shadows play Memories creep, softly whispered low Like forgotten verses of a song once sung They linger on, though soon to go When I grasp them tight They vanish like smoke in air Leaving traces of what's been Yet never truly there Oh, memory, you tease and taunt A dance of truth and disguise In your labyrinth, I seek answers Where echoes of joy meet sighs Time flows like a river's endless stream Yet in its currents, we're tossed Each memory a stone skipped across Ripples where moments are lost Even as they fade away In their light, I find my path Every memory, though fleeting Shapes the soul and its aftermath