Chesapeake Ocean waves thump
In my newly-beating chest.
Above the madness of my memories,
I think I can hear them swaying
To and fro,
Like my steady heartbeat.

Damp winds untangle the curls behind my ears.
My thoughts steady on September,
Where I picture brick walls,
Sitting nicely in a plaid dress,
My mousy blonde braid
The only consistent twist or turn.

I am the only one without a ticket
to the cinema.
I am a hologram;
A mirage
Thinning in and out of old reruns.
Which blank window panes
Share any foggy truth?

I'm sure leather messenger bags
And nice wool skirts have their place
Somewhere in the anatomy of the past,
But for now my wristwatch
Ticks and tocks
And waits for a time
When my skin is not the same shade
As the dates on my radio:

A new person passing anxiously through her old life.