Erasers

Many things get erased:

memories, words, history,

or sacred texts to name a few.

Some stories are written

in pencil: others in permanent

marker. Pages in books get ripped.

Statues get torn down or chipped.

What will stand the test of time?

What secrets are locked away?

Things that hide in the night

never see the light of day.

Can the past get rewritten or erased

entirely? It can’t be. Did the past

ever exist if we can’t remember it?

Certain words lose their meaning

as time goes on. Some still sing,

but we hear altered versions

of old songs. Do we always

have to believe everything

we are told? We have to trust

our eyes, but it can be hard

to see what went missing.

When we can’t remember

events, people, or experiences,

Father Time builds fences

that separate perception

and retention. We need to

listen before what we hear

gets lost in translation. Our

train of thought may be lost,

but we can always trace

our steps after we leave

the station. I am not sure

who is holding the pencil

that erases more than it writes.

Don’t let them control

your thoughts or change

what is set in stone. Every now

and again, we need to go

outside and look around, to see

if the sky is still blue, if the sun

is yellow and the grass is green.