on memory

you can't hold everything in your head
bit by bit it fades
leaving flint-like fragments
sharp, shiny, hard
which are sparked by places
songs, photographs, others
a cricket ground by a church
a roadsign
the name of a village
a street name
a pub now turned to flats
a make of car
a turn of phrase
a nickname
a make of cheese
a punk band formed by a pair of Scottish brothers
a note in a scorebook
a cheese sandwich
which reminds me
do you remember when...?

~

n.b. No one truly is gone until they're wholly forgotten and nothing remains to remind you.

CLP 26/09/2025