you should know that i like words. a lot.

forgetfulness

the 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.

billy collins.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

bucket list:
-converse with the genius man that wrote this brilliant piece of art.

...so i love billy collins. let's just get that out in the open. i am most likely his biggest fan. the way his words flip off my brain with a secret meaning has taken over me; i have become a victim of this man! ...well, his writing... if you liked this, read this. it is my favorite poem, coincidentally by my favorite american poet.

and before you judge it, say that it's bland, i just want you to use your brain a little bit harder today, and dissect it. appreciate the integrity in his writing, and fall in love with his words the way that i have.

*hint:
...if you see a dog on a scale, you're not reading it right.