Shrinking

 

Think back — what really happened? Try to see

through the spiderwebs of all those retellings,

all those redactions, not memories

so much as liquid stories that have gelled,

memories of memories. But think back —

what really happened? Under all those coats

of varnish, desire mistaken for fact,

denial mistaken for truth as it floats

in fogbound and fathomless waters. You’ve

written a poem that doesn’t even rhyme

with what really happened — or was it love?

Go on — you’ve talked about it lots of times.

 

                                                          for Marti

 

 

© Michael Fleming

Brattleboro, Vermont

May 2019

 

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