WOOL & DOWN

Remembering is the lining of forgetting.

        —Chris Marker from San Soleil

1.

Forgetting is a coat

I wear in winter.

It keeps the chill out.

It is my comfort during dark days.

But remembering is the wool

that makes the coat a coat,

makes it more than just a flimsy drape.

2.

Forgetting is a cushion

I lay my head on

that eases the mind

and pillows me to sleep, to dream.

But remembering is the down

that makes the cushion a cushion,

makes it more than just an empty case.