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