Paul W Conway

A Time to Remember or Not

When I’m hit with a blast from the past,
An urge for something to be recalled,
I don’t set off to prod awake
Its phantom, maybe sleeping fast,
To jolt it up with: I remember!
No, not if that can be forestalled.
I give the shade a gentle shake,
Just not enough to rouse it yet,
And pause: If it seems best to forget,
I let it slumber.