Just Beyond

I try to recall
cousin Cynthia’s second husband
you know…what’s-his-name
or that actor from Breaking Bad

but names elude me
hover just beyond reach
wily fugitives
from my once impeccable memory

they hang in that murky space
I can no longer reach with alacrity

sit defiantly on the tip of my tongue
so bratty– they sneak home at three in the morning
when they wake me up
and give me the finger

I used to spout the prologue of Romeo and Juliet
answer the questions on Jeopardy before the buzzer

this aging thing– it’s a bitch
hey, this is me who danced to the Doors
I thought I would surely dodge that bullet

and I don’t get why bad memories linger
like the burnt smell after a fire
stuff you wish you could forget
why can’t those thoughts
retire for good to that place of hazy recall

ah…but it’s the faded snapshots I treasure the most
sweet images of good times
ebbing and flowing like gentle currents
gathering on the banks of my mind—

I will fight against this aging thing
but I fear the battle is just getting started.