Secondary Memory

Do you Remember?

The sand on your feet, sucking you deeper,

Making you feel safely stuck in the grains.

Not knowing they were jagged and molten

Rocks and crushed seashells finely grated.

Or looking up at the sky wondering why

It chose to be blue, not knowing reasons

Aside from your imagination as to why

Clouds sometimes look like teddy bear

Stuffing, cotton candy, pillow filling,

And other soft things.

Then seeing it fall, trickle, or drop down

As you kept your face, as you kept your

Tongue or arm sticking out, hoping to catch

A few drops and not a cold or cold feet.

Warming them up by the flames at night,

Whether it be fireside at a campsite,

Your chimney if you had one or burning

Marshmallows on a gas stove range.

Smelling smoke, the charring of deadwood–

Hell, even charcoal and gas had its charms.

Charms of a broken handmade bracelet.

Trying to find the pieces, each bead rolling.

Such a difficult thing to put back together.

Losing a letter here and a neon bead there.

Bits lost, pieces found, bound to a new string.

Do you remember then? Did you lose it to now?

You’ll lose them now and again, the back then.

Just as the sand grains roll back with the waves

Or like those cotton candy clouds passing by

And droplets drying on your arms and face,

As the scent of ash and ember float away,

And the smallest beads roll towards a sidewalk gap.

You’ll lose them every now and then.

You’ll ask them to come back soon.

You’ll ask yourself again and again.

Do you remember?

Let those memories come back to you.