My memory is a trickster thing
Malevolence it’s ruling king
Triumphs, loves and every bright day
Leave no trace, slip easily away
While every hurt, hunger and humiliation
Replay with endless stubborn fascination
My memory has no respect for new joys
Guarding only the old and broken toys
Those worn nursery relics that give me pain
Are all my imp memory deigns to retain
Each new enticing present pleasure
Has no value in my memory’s treasure
Where every small mistake persistently polished
Leaves all new joys heartlessly abolished
My eyes behold pastoral beauty
While memory attends to third grade cruelty
My senses thrill with wondrous feasts
While memory recalls my least defeats
No god could worst punishment decree
Than the devil my own memory is to me
