Ensign’s Log, Entry 21: NaPoWriMo Day #20, Poem #7

There are moments when I need to recall a fact, a name, a date…and nothing comes when I seek the right memory. Oftentimes I will remember later on, long after the moment I needed to recall it has passed.

Recently I tried a free writing session–difficult in a moving car, with the pen skittering across the page–titled My Mind is Blank. The following free verse is inspired by this free writing session. I considered expanding it, putting more context into it, but then realized that the simpler it is, the more encompassing it is.

Because I might be reaching for an interesting fact about a plant, or I might be trying to comfort someone, or I might be trying to express my feelings…it doesn’t matter what the situation is. The emotions tied up in the struggle to remember depend on the moment, but those moments all share a common thread of forgetfulness.

Blank

My mind reaches out

Searching, searching

For the words

The right words

And finds

Nothing