Abstract
Forgetting
Lying haloed in mild winter sunshine
interred in linen she sleeps peacefully
her gentle features bear the marks of time
with slow rises breath comes not easily.
Feeble and anile she arrived last night
found postfall by a well-meaning neighbor
then whisked away in cacophonous lights
onto the ward; our duty to save her.
This centurion lies, I approach, pause—then loudly proclaim to wrest her from rest
scanning her worn face I explain my cause
my goal: to conduct a memory test.
With a nod of consent the test proceeds
With jussive phrase and subtle frustration
the dense murky brain fog clearly impedes
she furrows brow at wilting cognition.
A lifetime of cherished memories fade
the rampage of lost thoughts provokes upset
In my work I've found this one view has stayed
These are the patients it's hard to forget.