Time Warps

A fractured past. Shattered glass

falling on dusty photo albums.

Looking back at all the times

I had, I can’t recall them all.

At unexpected times, neglected

memories manifest. Every person

I’ve met lives inside my head.

Even those who I have lost –

– those who I long for, can be

found in a song, a beautiful sky,

a familiar face, a special place,

or a recognizable smell or taste.

Their last words are tattooed

on the inside of my skull:

life lessons impossible to forget.

All I have seen and known are

one with mind, body, and soul.

Every time I close my eyes,

I take a step into a time machine.

I never know where it will

take me. When my mind

travels across the uncharted

seas of never-ending memories,

I sit back and let the ship steer

itself. If I try hard enough,

I can gain control and rewind

to specific times: times tethered

to different realities; times that

gave me insight. In my mind,

I am free. I am free to visit

the places I have once roamed.

I wonder what will happen

when I drive down memory

lane and knock on the door

of my childhood home.

People and things never

stay the same. Time changes

everything: good and bad.

Still, I am free to search for

the memories that hide

from me. Day by day, I glue

the shattered glass of

my past back together. Things

can fall apart or fall into place.

It’s all the same. Get it together.

Life goes on. The past is gone.

Time heals all, and it gets better.