Memories of a Memory
Memory is the easiest thing to remember
when once again there is something
you can’t quite bring in while utterly
certain that you knew it once
and if you stop trying quite so hard
it may still crawl back like a once-whipped dog
you’ll feel the whirring of the cogs
as it settles quietly into a safe warm place
somewhere in the back of your brain
all this likely to happen after a stroke
when you might prod and poke for all
you are worth to no avail
just another failure but language
is still being formed and flowing
in its familiar liquid state with most of
the words you will ever need and still
a coherence for the structures you elaborate
whether speech or poetry or even song
your words painting a picture as thick
as layered oils building a sky above
your head filled with lights and planets
an entire universal infrastructure
building sufficient wordplay
which can harmonize with infinity.
About the Author: Paul Ilechko is a British American poet and occasional songwriter who lives with his partner in Lambertville, NJ. His work has appeared in many journals, including The Bennington Review, Bear Review, Atlanta Review, Permafrost, and Free State Review. His book “Fragmentation and Volta” was published in 2025 by Gnashing Teeth Publishing. He reads for Marrow Magazine.
Image Credit: Hugh Henry Breckenridge “Red Rubber Bands” Sky Drama (1917) Public domain image courtesy of Artvee
As It Ought To Be 