The Unfinished Scene
A Memory That Refuses to End
It returns without summons
a shard that will not soften
Ground beneath me is uncertain
perhaps warm perhaps cool
my mind refuses agreement
A chair once shifted across the room
that dragging sound held on longer
than a boring speech
it remains when all else falters
Someone was there
I believe a face turned
yet each time I look again
the shape collapses
as if it never belonged
a hand extended
was it mine or another repeating me
the difference dissolves each time I recall
The season is gone
no marker left to guide me back
only the circuit of thought
revolving without mercy
wearing itself thin
I ask the memory to speak
it holds its ground
offering nothing but return
it refuses to resolve
preferring to circle itself
unfinished eternal
like a story stranded in its middle
So each morning arrives
and still it follows
what began but never concluded
walks with me
carved into the marrow of remembering
About the Creator
Tim Carmichael
Tim is an Appalachian poet and cookbook author. He writes about rural life, family, and the places he grew up around. His poetry and essays have appeared in Bloodroot and Coal Dust, his latest book.
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Comments (2)
How beautifully abstract and heartfelt TC, elusive yet almost. Lovely.
"carved into the marrow of remembering" is a line that will stick with me for a while. It gave me chills. Excellent writing.