Mere Knowing is not Remembering
I have one picture of Aunt Ruth way back
In Pensacola time. That’s all, except
One fragment from her dying days. The black
And white snap…that’s it. All the rest is swept
Away in blankest loss, except that thing
She mouthed while dying. Then she said she feared
That we would not recall. Kids would not bring
Her back in memory. She proved right. Now seared
From us except in that one snapshot, Ruth
Is nothing more than that—and that one sad
Quotation from her deathbed. That’s the truth.
We know she lived in Pensacola, had
Some sort of auntly life (and other stuff),
But know that only. Such is not enough.
Phillip, I really like the poem. It is powerful and moving without being too sweet. I enjoyed the word ‘auntly’. However, I do wonder about the use of ‘seared’ although I understand the strength of it. One doesn’t normally combine ‘seared’ and ‘from’. Finally, might it not be a good idea to move ‘only’ (in the last line) to the end of that four-word sentence? Just an idea. I think it would give the line more resonance.
Thanks. I have moved the word “only” as you suggeested and the change is a definite improvement. I’m sticking with “seared from” partly because it is indeed unusual.