A Little Poetry

CindyBum

I had the remarkable good fortune to see and hear Billy Collins read and talk about his poems. He was once name America’s poet laureate. His poetry is deep and often humorous. When he read this poem, I remember my SO and I laughing at some of these points, as we were both getting older and a bit more forgetful. I drift back to this poem now and again. Even though it’s now much sadder to me, there is still such a beauty to it. To me anyway. Your mileage may vary.

Forgetfulness

BY BILLY COLLINS

The name of the author is the first to go

followed obediently by the title, the plot,

the heartbreaking conclusion, the entire novel

which suddenly becomes one you have never read, never even heard of,

as if, one by one, the memories you used to harbor decided to retire to the southern hemisphere of the brain,

to a little fishing village where there are no phones.

Long ago you kissed the names of the nine muses goodbye

and watched the quadratic equation pack its bag,

and even now as you memorize the order of the planets,

something else is slipping away, a state flower perhaps,

the address of an uncle, the capital of Paraguay.

Whatever it is you are struggling to remember,

it is not poised on the tip of your tongue

or even lurking in some obscure corner of your spleen.

It has floated away down a dark mythological river

whose name begins with an L as far as you can recall

well on your own way to oblivion where you will join those

who have even forgotten how to swim and how to ride a bicycle.

No wonder you rise in the middle of the night

to look up the date of a famous battle in a book on war.

No wonder the moon in the window seems to have drifted   

out of a love poem that you used to know by heart.

storycrafter

It is beautiful, haunting, and poignant. It's like a gift to read, even as it sets my heartstrings trembling. The humor is exquisitely, skillfully infused throughout.

Thank you so much for sharing this with us. I hadn't read or heard it before ... that I remember anyway.

CindyBum

Ha! thank you for that chuckle!

M1

Love it. He deserves honor of poet laureate for sure. Thank you!!!

Jeff86

Love Billy Collins, who lives nearby and when I was on the board of a literary organization did a reading for us. His poetry is so accessible, as this one is. Spot on, with its specificity and it’s built-up and progression to the devastating, ironic conclusion.

Thanks for sharing it.

mrahope

I had not been familiar with this author before (not much of a poetry buff), at least that I recall ;)

This is so spot on with behavior my DH exhibits daily. Sweet, sad, and amusing all at the same time. Thanks for sharing it.

Jeanne C.

Well, I love that. That last line ❤. Thank you for sharing it.

Beachfan

What a treat! Thank you! I was not familiar with this poet (I quit after eighth grade and “quoth the raven nevermore.”) I spent the last several hours reading many of his poems between basting the bird, peeling sweet potatoes, stirring gravy…..Tasks made easier with such enjoyable breaks. Thanks again and yes, it “sets my heartstrings trembling” as well. Happy Thanksgiving all.

dgcaskey

I am not Billy Collins (I do really like his poetry, including poem you shared). But over the years, I did write a poem for my wife on occasion -- or a note or whatever you call the little appreciations you might slip into a birthday card or leave on the table for your spouse to find. So when my wife became bedridden from Alzheimer's and was losing the ability to speak, she asked me to gather up as many of these notes as I could find so they would not be lost -- and so I could read them to her in the evenings. After doing that, I decided to publish the collection as a small book. The poems are NOT about dementia but are a kind of reflection of (celebration, even) our time together. Since I'm donating the profits of the book to the Alzheimer's Association, I told them about this project, and they suggested that I mention it in the AlzConnected forum. So here's a link to the book on Amazon if anyone is interested.

https://tinyurl.com/a9ny3f9h

RickM

Very Cool! Thank you dg

White Crane