March 22, 2008
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Forgetfulness
by Billy CollinsThe name of
the author is the first to go
followed obediently by the title, the plot,
the heartbreaking conclusion, the entire novel
which suddenly becomes one you have never read,
never even heard of,as if, one by one, the memories you used to harbor
decided to retire to the southern hemisphere of the brain,
to a little fishing village where there are no phones.Long ago you kissed the names of the nine Muses goodbye
and watched the quadratic equation pack its bag,
and even now as you memorize the order of the planets,something else is slipping away, a state flower perhaps,
the address of an uncle, the capital of Paraguay.Whatever it is you are struggling to remember,
it is not poised on the tip of your tongue,
not even lurking in some obscure corner of your spleen.It has floated away down a dark mythological river
whose name begins with an L as far as you can recall,
well on your own way to oblivion where you will join those
who have even forgotten how to swim and how to ride a bicycle.No wonder you rise in the middle of the night
to look up the date of a famous battle in a book on war.
No wonder the moon in the window seems to have drifted
out of a love poem that you used to know by heart.
Comments (11)
I wish I couldn’t relate to this poem, but alas, alack….c’est moi. I’ve never had a good long-term memory. Doesn’t bode well for old age. Billy Collins is one of my daughter’s favorite poets. I’m just discovering him. Thanks for posting it!
unfortunately perfect.
This is soooo appropriate right now…even my brother. who is only 47 and is whip smart, is “forgetting” things. We are pretty trippy somedays…he said between the two of us, we now have half a brain. We both used to have GREAT memories and delighted in small details. I am thinking of taking up crossword puzzles or word scrambles to jog the gray matter. Hope you have a blessed Easter, too! Church was wonderful last night.:)
RYC: Thanks! It’s one of my favorite photos too. I like the way the snow sits in the corners, and the flying snow in the background adds a bit of movement.
I’ve never read that poem before, it’s beautiful. Sad and wistful.
This is a nice poem.
I like this; especially the last two lines. Thank you for sharing!!
Happiest of Easters to you and your wonderful family! Miss you all!
Ahhhh, I am sad to say I can relate to this more than I would like to admit. It reminds me of something, but I forget. LOL
Oh, boy, Excellent poem! I like “whose name begins with an L as far you can recall…” I am always saying it starts with such and such, and being totally wrong.
I could have written this if I were talented enough.
Or did I write it? I can’t remember…
I liked that. Especially the last line about the moon… I’ll remember that next time I look at it.
@homefire -
Or DID I write it? HA HA HA HA!
I loved the poem and can even relate a little. I can remember things when I was 2, even a few verifiable things from my infantcy. And yet, today, I couldn’t even remember if I’d read Prince Caspian before or whether my reading it to my 4th graders is my 1st time.