Your paper dress,
shoulder length hair,
looked so beautiful
in my mind.
Did I just
create a memory
from nothing?
I see it,
like 8mm film.
Running through my mind,
like an old projector.
I can see
dark eyes,
bright smile,
but I know
that we lived
in color.
This was never
supposed to be
a substitute for reality,
but I strain against
my programming
a bit more
every day.
Maybe this is just a sign
of my malfunction?
Maybe the imaginary
is real,
and I’m mistaken?
I can see you
in my mind’s eye,
clear,
as if it were yesterday.
This is not
what it was
in the beginning.
I’m afraid
that you are real,
and I’m the lie.
I hear you laugh,
and there is nothing like it.
A sound,
as pure as angel’s wings.
I’m lifted away
to another place
for a moment.
I’m back now,
from where I wandered.
I wonder if I’ll
see you again,
in the place
where imagination
meets memory.
HG – 2020
