The Things You'll Forget

for my mother

The graceless things you've done,

all of them.

Time you shouldn't be

keeping track of anyway,

your passwords, her

middle name,

lines running through

your head, that one time,

Virginia, pleasant

as it was,

to speak ill

or otherwise,

your previous intentions,

people you mean

to save, people

who mean to save you,

spreadsheets, terrible

histories,

and the lyrics

to a song that's not playing.

Not for forever, not for 4/4

of forever

not for 3/4 of forever,

but, at least until

the band takes

its next break.

These are the things you'll forget

watching other people dancing.

May 14, 2016