Faces

This is the thirty-first entry in my song-inspired series of poems! We’re revisiting the topic of memory this week (seems fitting), with a poem inspired by the song ‘Garamond’ by Arm’s Length, which I hope that you enjoy!

First Poem In This Series: To Witness, To Behold, inspired by ‘Sowing The Seeds Of Love’ by Tears For Fears

Previous Poem In This Series: The End Of The Cycle, inspired by ‘Only Time Will Tell’ by Asia

Faces

It began as a two-sided coin,
twisted to add a third face
and from then on, an exponential,
incomprehensible splitting–
or perhaps it grew, expanded,
coloured in the empty spaces,
until a certain point,
because I know how memory feels
and I know it exists,
and so it cannot be limitless;
I am running my fingers
over the edges of a mathematical
monstrosity, touching
the crinkle of dead leaves,
on a dry day, blurring
with the sugary remnants
of spilled energy drink,
and even then, there is paper,
a shard that smells, so strongly,
of ink–but is it marker pen,
or felt tip? Was it then,
or then, or here, or now–
and there are spaces
that shrink, even as I try
to revive them, notches
that were once larger
than scratches, but
I can’t remember
what they look like,
what the texture was,
how the grass smelt,
tumbling down a hill;
the shape of the smile
is gone, but I can still
feel the shared happiness,
even if it’s only
a flitter now–
perhaps it’s not limitless,
but I hope the forgotten
are only hidden, waiting
for the curious touch
of a wandering mind
to widen the shape,
once again, and rediscover
the yellow glow of streetlights.

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