On the Edges of My Memory
By James G. Piatt
On the edges of my memory, I see images of the
past echoing in the coals in the fireplace and
vanishing into curling smoke up the chimney. I look
up to the sky, wondering about the weight of these
memories, as I watch dim silver-colored lights
flickering through the rain-streaked windows in the
library. The swift gales of winter are battering the
old house, disrupting the rhythm of my aging mind.
The raucous din is concealing the meaning of things
I still do not understand, like the dwindling pulses
of my heart and the voices calling to me in my
dreams. I stop to think about the drama in which I
am the main protagonist, and see fleeting metaphors
of waning time, and the weight of life’s enigmas
trampling my serenity. The thin line between life
and death crumbles and spins in the wind as I see
lightning flashing in the distance. I taste the sound
of thunder in my mouth. The rain continues to fall,
as I watch hawks flying amongst the gaps between
raindrops, and my skin feels the peculiar dampness
of the night. I search for reality in the stairway of
my lost memories while I struggle against the
uneasy ache between inhaling and exhaling. I dread
the voices of the lonely night that call to souls like
me: Their voices crisscross the room carrying the
throbbing hours that are vanishing quickly away. I
sense something unnamed that quietly pulses inside
the old house, and I am trying to stifle the tears
running down my cheeks as my final hours dwindle
away in the corner of my memories.
James G. Piatt, a poet, and novelist, lives in Santa Ynez, California, with his wife Sandy, and a dog named Scout. He has published five collections of poetry, The Silent Pond, Ancient Rhythms, LIGHT, Solace Between the Lines, and Serenity, over 1770 poems, five novels, and thirty-five short stories in scores of national and international literary journals. He is a twice Best of The Net nominee and a four-time Pushcart nominee. He earned his doctorate from BYU, and his BS and MA from California State Polytechnic University, SLO.
