In the present
we're all here
We all know that
except you of course.

A river turns
three dimensional
when you've
been on it for a while.
The past runs down that river
becoming
smaller and smaller
a fish eye lens closing
until it disappears
into a memory

impossible to verify

Did I dream it
Was I told it
Did I see it on tv
Did it even happen to me?

How did I get there
Who was that person
What did they want
And what did I give them?

Memory is an echo
that rides on the currents of light
the song being sung
the perfume scent of something familiar
the look on a face in the crowd
the laughter floating through the neighborhood

Nightmares flashbacks
terror
too

Ok

Turn on the lights
it's just you.

Memory
this connection with "me"
yes
I was there
that was me
and
it all adds up to identity
connection with one's past
the narrative of our lives
the soundtrack of our times

but no more sorrow
no more melancholy
look around
it's the present
we're all here
your not
alone.