"Memory Almost Sonnet" by Alice Pero

Memory Almost Sonnet

That vague memory in my hollow hand
a desert lizard appearing in the edge of my eye
skittering vision I almost see
a past lifetime shrouded in a deep pocket
or right now, “Where are my keys?”
A door cracks open, sunlight in, then shuts
A name, a date, slips in and out
“Will I remember? Will I find him?”
Little clouds in a vast blue sky
A million reasons, a trillion thoughts
hiding like children skipping school
How do we manage to hold it all still?
We sit in the center of timelessness
fussing like old ladies who missed their pills

Alice Pero

Alice Pero’s poetry is widely published in magazines and anthologies including Nimrod, National Poetry Review, River Oak Review, Main Street Rag, Poet Lore, The Alembic, North Dakota Quarterly, The Distillery, Fox Cry Review, The Griffin, G.W. Review, Coiled Serpent and Wide Awake. Pero’s first book, Thawed Stars, was praised by Kenneth Koch as having “clarity and surprises.” She is the 10th Poet Laureate of Sunland/Tujunga. A passionate dialoguer, she has created works with over 25 poets in the United States, England, and Scotland. In 2002, Pero created the popular reading series, “Moonday,” in Los Angeles.

Headshot: Alice Pero

Photo Credit: Staff