19th May 2020

Fading Faces and Althzeimers 

I used to make a list
Daily
Well weekly
Maybe monthly.

The plan was to remember
Not just the faces
But the places and times
Everything in perfect detail
So one day
Perhaps today
I could write my memoirs
Or confess.

Carol most definitely
Mary is a yes
Elizabeth
from Scotland
Sarah at least one
Angela two
And Amanda there were several
But each new face destroyed another
Always changing.

I tried all ways
Alphabetical
Phonetically
Numerical
Abstractly
But in the end the memories fade
Or sometimes are washed away
By guilt or alcohol or both.

Serial something
Lover
Or hater
User
Or abused
Always one or the other
Never even Steven
Lasting no longer than an itch.

Looking back it was good
A thing of legend
If ever I related
Beyond the tiny details
Escaping me unguarded
In moments of relaxation.