reminders

everywhere i turn, i am reminded
of times that were great
and even ones that were good
why, i'll even take the ones that were better
than now

and it's not just at home

but on the streets

as i walk past stores

and restaurants

and tea shops

sometimes i pause
and think for a bit
i try to relive
i try to recall
memory, and muscle memory

those times that we chatted

even something irrelevant

those times that we hugged

and maybe when we kissed

or held hands

i have to be honest

that it's a struggle

thoughts are so powerful

and they sometimes

override memory

that's the thing

memory fades, quite quickly too

i haven't forgotten the feeling

but i have forgotten the feel

yeah, there is a difference

what helps then are reminders

pictures, as faded as they may be

 and keepsakes, no, not ones bought

but a tissue that we wrote on

or a coaster stained with booze

a shell that recorded more than the sound of the sea

a bill from a bus ride

a goofy smiley scribbled

a codeword we created

anything

something

to keep going

hoping

feeling

believing

living