A Bit Of Advice

It is folly to believe
that when you close your eyes
you will remember
all names you’ve heard
in your life.
Some are gone, as are
faces, voices; even
their scents cannot be
connected to them.

Of course
you couldn’t be bothered
to learn them back then so
you will not know them now.
They are not water and
did not stain your memory.
But once in a while
a scrap will jog free of its darkness
and then you will come to think
that a whole piece of your past
survived, but
you will have failed, or rather
your past stayed stubborn
and refused its shelter.

If you shut your eyes,
cover your ears, keep
a tight hold on what you have,
and be a little silent in its
chattering face;
you instead choose to watch
a mourning dove strut by
and notice how it does not seem
perturbed at all by wind,

you will be fine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
onward,
T