Mom loved carousel music boxes. Had a showcase collection of them. Would choose one each day to wind up and play songs she loved. She’d play along on her piano, sing, belt out harmonies to the melodies, but then, her mind began to warp and wind down, and I was the one choosing her carousel tunes, winding her horses while she listened, pretended to play her piano, nubby, nail-bitten fingers compressing keys in the air when she could no longer sit up. When her mind forgot to tell her to breathe, the last of the carousel songs died with her.
Jenny Morelli is a NJ high school English teacher who lives with her husband and cat Eclipse. She’s published in several online and print journals. JennyMorelliWrites.com jmorelli.substack.com Bluesky & Instagram: @jennymorelli1230 Facebook: @jenny.morelli.90 LinkedIn: Jenny Morelli TikTok: @jennymorelli8. “Carousels” is the winner of our MUSIC BOX contest, part of our 2026 Micromemoir Marathon.