This month Women Writing for (a) Change-Bloomington poets are participating in National Poetry Writing Month. Every day we will offer up a new poem by a writer in our community. Check back after 6:00pm for the Prompt of the Day and the selected resulting poem.
Prompt: Write poems that provide the reader with instructions on how to do something.
How to remember by Lauren J Bryant
Try not to panic. When your brain skids
into that flat stretch of nothing,
words and names held at bay,
and you say, “you know, that thing”
when you mean tablecloth or spatula,
recall the doctor says it’s normal
at your age.
Stop reading articles with ‘memory’
in the headline. Hang on to mnemomic devices
(after pride at remembering how to spell mnemonic,
after praising spell check )—
put your mental list in alpha order;
link the person you just met to the brown color of her hair.
Practice stalling–a lame joke, the leading question–
and practice evasion, too–a faked engagement.
Be grateful when the name or word arrives,
even a day late.
Do the crossword and sudoku despite the doctors
saying now it doesn’t really help. Reject
the advice to learn another language, the words
you already know are hard enough to keep.
Try not to panic. Keep laughing. High-five your brother
when you both have a dream he says points toward
dementia. Remember that your mother knew
she loved you long after she forgot your name.