It seems
she remembers
everything.
Me
not so much.
I am not sure
when I began
to look right at the movie actors
and hear the bell of memory
ringing off in the distance
just far enough away
to make the sound of their name
undecipherable
(It was Eli Wallach
and she knew it instantly.)
My memory now operates independently
judging the importance of names and events
regardless of my efforts
but there have been moments
when I knew immediately
I had witnessed the unforgettable
like when I told my father
that she was sick
his very last words to me were
“Well, tell her I’m thinking about her.”
I am fairly certain
I’ll remember that
forever.
Ken Owen March 2023
Van Niddy Press
