Original DDE™ art: “Memory Boxes” by: rob kistner © 12/7/25
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memory shifts these days
loosening in small
unhurried ways
a thought drifts off mid-stride
circling wide
taking the long road
ahead momentarily
on the wrong road
fumbling in contradiction
mumbling in garbled diction
back toward my recognition
until at last
facts from fiction
many a memory box
no keys for their locks
I’ve learned patients
learned to take these gaps gently
like lost lyrics
of an old song
once known by heart
the melody does remain
rattling in my foggy brain
so I pause
wait
listen—
to pleasantly learn
the words
did quietly return
no pomp
no fanfare—
the thought
quite simply
is once again there
with a laugh in its pocket
other times
I hold only the outline
of a mystery feeling
soft as worn cotton
certain there is something
in this moment
l’ve forgotten—
but I don’t worry reeling
cause my friend…
life keeps moving through me
light and free
in the glow of morning
something stirs near
eschewing fear
I deflect to reflect
on the wonderful joy I feel
of simply being here
when suddenly
that same morning—
another memory falls
at my feet
unexpectedly
landing perfectly
without warning
surprising me
as if it had never
wandered off at all
I greet each lapse kindly
knowing—
it’s part of my way
of being alive…
trusting my heart’s
deeper archive—
where nothing truly precious
goes missing
for too long—
except that damned song…
or why I came in here—
oh well…
if it’s meant to be
it will come back to me
if it don’t
worry — I won’t
certainly not yet
there is more than enough
in my addled mind
to forget
rob kistner © 12/7/25