Memory has substance
for those athirst
a book never finished
whose pages reverse

Minute by minute
the moments burn
Igniting our history
whose ashes return

Memory’s sensation
beyond the five
Assuring our consciousness
we’re still alive

Formed in a vacuum
of fire and light
Stealing us inward
past seasons respite

Memory delivers
what stimulus feigns
A cloud in the desert
showering rain

Wrapping us tightly
in motion transformed
Buried within us
—keeping us warm

(Dreamsleep: January, 2023)