He cries when he
Hears the song because
It reminds him of
Who he used to be and
How much he’s changed.
Foreboding,
Sense of uncertainty,
Perceptible shift,
Condition worsening,
Memories of a time
When it wasn’t like this,
Taken for granted,
Unappreciated,
Now mourned.
Not knowing where it is,
No idea,
No recollection,
Anxiety, guilt,
Fear that it is about
Much more than
The object,
A transition to
Something else.
I realized something was
Wrong the moment I saw you,
Though I desperately tried to
Pretend I didn’t know.
So much time and energy
Invested in something so temporary,
A fleeting moment’s peace,
Short-lived reassurance.
Changing direction,
I hope no one recognizes
What’s going on,
When it suddenly collapses.
It’s a sad, troubling moment
When you perceive the closing of
A mind, the point at which you
Realize that you’re not talking
With the same person you once
Knew but one who has become
Permeated by something other
Than what you both used to
Consider so commonplace that
It was never even mentioned.
There are times when
She still speaks to me
In the middle of some
Mundane task or
Important event.
I’m grateful to hear
Her, remembering what
It was like to
Have her near.
If he had been told
That he’d be going there
To experience something
Horrible, it’s quite
Certain he wouldn’t have
Believed it, such things
Almost always materialize
As an undesirable and
Unforeseen surprise.
As he got ready for the
Event, all he could
Think about was her
Face and how much he
Was looking forward
To seeing her again.
He still remembers
That evening, with a
Mixture of sorrow and
Venom, sometimes
Hoping he will
Have the opportunity
To repay the favor.
Things that seemed so commonplace
Now holding places of distinction
In memory, minor now major,
The passage of time imparting
New depth of color and hue
To what was once easily overlooked,
Were it not too late already.
Gazing wistfully at
The cassette tape,
Remembering a time
That will never return,
Friends long gone,
Events relegated to
Personal history,
Remembered perhaps
Only by him,
A mix of happiness and loss.
