Saturday, September 7, 2013

A BABY BOOMER'S LAMENT




Grandson during swimming class.






I go upstairs eagerly to get it.
Once there ^%#@!*????! I forget it.
Other times my keys are lost,
or find my glasses on my head,
or go to celebrate, forget the gift,
or that I ate before I left.
Can't recall that lady who said hello.
Vaguely I remember. But no,
she's not, or is she the one,
the one who married what'shisface?

Some nights when sleep evades
my mind stays busy watching
as poetic ideas glide in potential
for expanding...

"Let's pretend entire world is kind..."

"The rainbow melted beneath her ..."

"In the center of his mind, there is a secret,
like a diamond that shimmers with shame..."

Then when the sun rises, though I welcome its light,
makes me mad that somehow in spite of all my might,
all the mental notes I'd made, took flight.

It's kinda funny, some things best unremembered,
but it's also scary, sad,
'cause forgetting can be symptom
of something very bad.

I hope playing sudoku
is exercise enough
to strengthen mental muscle
and return it to its prime.
But now I've lost track of time,
and my book I can't find.
*^&%$#!!!

(Submitted to Dverse Poets)

25 comments:

  1. My mother is retiring this month and moving in with us. In this piece I hear the echo of her frustration and my own concern for her wellbeing. I take comfort in knowing she will be much closer and that I can care for her. This is very well presented and I feel empathetic in response.

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  2. Ah yes... but I am pretty certain that I could hide my own Easter eggs - which has to be a plus.

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  3. Very good. I play a word game called "Word Whomp". I don't remember if it sharpens my Greg matter or not. Thanks,

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  4. Ha. These are syndromes that are known to almost everyone -- even the young. Very cleverly expressed. (No loss in expression!) I think that actually physical exercise is supposed to be about as good as mental - but who knows? k.

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  5. yes it can...losing my memory and my mind is one of my fears...def a muscle we should work...and some slippage is expected...you did give me a chuckle there in the end...

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  6. Ha, Myrna. you mentioned keys and glasses. These are two things I am ALWAYS losing too. It really is the pits to keep trying to keep track of them. You eluded to the fact that not remembering things can be a sign of something really bad. I always think about this too and pray this will NOT affect me or someone I love.

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  7. Nice post, great blog, following :)

    Good Luck :)

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  8. Can't remember much any more. I have lots of pens and lots of Post Its. Totally relate.

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  9. I can relate to forgetting but once I forget, I always remember to bring it with me ~ I hope to keep on working and studying to keep me sharp & active for many years to come ~ I think its important to keep our mental muscles turning & running before Mr. Linky expires, smiles ~

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  10. Then when the sun rises, though I welcome its light,
    makes me mad that somehow in spite of all my might,
    all the mental notes I'd made, took flight.

    That happens to me, too. I found your poem quite entertaining. Love the tone.

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  11. Love that stanza Laurie quoted above me, and wow...this poem echoes what I'm seeing with so many family and friends as they struggle with the memory and mental muscle. Well done!

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  12. Wow. You can still do Sudoku? I am way impressed! hee hee. Loved this, Myrna!

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  13. oh yes - it's good to keep our brain trained - and i never can remember my poetical thoughts that i have in the middle of the night if i don't write them down - believe it or not - i once was searching for my little one hectically and forgot that i carried her on my arm - really - that was kinda crazy - but to my excuse - that was a hectic afternoon with millions of kids around and i had severe lack of sleep - ha - smiles

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  14. Oh yes... forgetting all the time... names, where I put my keys etc.. Suduko is good, but poetry is greater... maybe you should have a little recorder by your bed to record those poetry lines....

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  15. nice to visit after a long time Myrna...hows it going?

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  16. Forgetting - is it just the natural aging thing or something far more sinister. "all the mental notes I'd made, took flight." ...

    One thought as far as poetic ideas at night that you can't write down... hand held recording devices are so cheap... my ipod has one - so you could maybe try that :) Love the unerwater photo of your grandson.

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  17. ...reminds me of the time my son had a paper route and I got up at dawn to drive the station wagon while he tossed the papers as I moved along slowly.....the one morning I started out without him in the car....thanks for the smiles in this poem.....crossword puzzles do help!

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  18. oh! well searching for glasses when tucked on the head...absolutely relate to this one including the poetic titbits!

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  19. I enjoyed the realism in your poem Myrna! Some scenes are really familiar!
    As for the poetic ideas that crop up in the middle of the night, now I take a pencil and write them down. Otherwise it is too frustrating.

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  20. Myrna, this was very good, getting to the very heart of asn issue. May I ask if those thoughts in quotes are yours (please don't be offended) or were the quotation marks simply there to set them apart. They were gems. Well done.>KB

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  21. I loved that photo. It conveys determination and innocence all in one. It reminds me of my son diving into the pool at our nearby leisure centre for the first time. Or my daughter playing with us in the same pool years later.

    I quite liked your poem. It conveys the frustration one feels when one is losing one's memory. And yet, aren't we all headed for the same direction? It's scary, I just hope I'll have your same sense of humour. :-)

    Greetings from London.

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  22. Extremely well done. In italics ...a diamond ...shame...Ouch somebody! Possibly everyone has done some little error. Apparently somebody has done a big diamond, what a great metaphor.
    I want to swim in that pool, now.

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  23. Oh Myrna, how I can relate, though a little younger, MS has sped up the process of forgetfulness in me... and yes somethings are better forgotten, a little gift, a blessing... but frustrating as anything when it would have been a good thing to remember!

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  24. What an AWESOME shot of your grandson.

    I really like it here and am happy to find you via G-Man and his 55 words. Good to meet one so in touch with her spirit on this human journey.

    Memory loss, it comes and goes, but the heart and all the best things go on forever.

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