Full of great personal touches. This phrasing stuck out to me for some reason:

Still, we needed more –
each tome and folder
expanded as we packed.

As if the life contained within his personal effects refuses to be packed away neatly. Resisting, they expand beyond simple materiality to conjure up memories, and have a personality of their own. And of course, the weight of their loss weighs heavy in both a literal and emotional sense.

I work in a 2nd hand bookshop and we often get donations such as these; boxes full of incredible old books and long forgotten manuscripts. It can be incredibly sad in a way, unpacking these things and getting a glimpse - through the books this person cherished - of what kind of person they were.

Wonderful tribute, and a great poem to boot. Thanks for letting us read it.