MEMORY

MEMORY

Rings on trees 

signify the passing of years

the pale wide rings dividing the wet years 

from dark dense wood when the rains don't come 

I'm looking-down at my fingernails & it occurs to me

that there are growth rings embedded on them too, 

where growth measured in weeks, not years 

What drought is measured on my nails? 

Is it a loss of the heart?

Or a loss of love? 

A memory lapse? 

Loss of the poet? 

Loss of protein?  

Or a loss of fear? 

Maybe ridicule? 

Or antibiotics?

A pregnancy?

Memory gain? 

Weight loss?

Or water?

Drought?

?

1979

added 2/2017

very minor changes to make the tree shape work