Clinically Proven for 24 Hours
I lack short term memory (where are my keys? did I brush my teeth?) so I am burdened by one ridiculous long term memory ask me about Kindergarten and I could tell you: paintings I did in only red and yellow because you had to share colours and I wasn’t the kind of kid who had the patience to wait although I was nice enough not to budge in line that time I could have ask me about Grade 7 and I could tell you: I never really liked that boy but still made the effort to play footsies under tables made of wood that was really plastic so you couldn’t even knock when you needed the luck ask me about Grade 9 and I could tell you: how I spent whole summers at the library safer than a house because words don’t like to remind me to smile when I really just want to stab the photographer with a blue ballpoint pen ask me about last December and I could tell you: the only time I ever really lived was under the gun in a world where an Irishman can whistle a tune you will remember when you’re walking down Robson by yourself on Christmas Eve I remember everything and I’m terrible at forgiving so please don’t laugh and be gentle.
This is a poem I wrote in about 20 minutes right before I had to leave my house for school that day because Writing class was in the morning and everybody had to bring in a new poem that they had written to read out loud. I put this in my poetry anthology project and Mr. Derreth said that this was his favourite poem. I wonder why…I can personally see how rushed it was but maybe the best inspiration comes when you don’t over think things? What do you guys think?
© Caroline Cheng, 2008
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