Amnesia

By Mantz Yorke

A sign of ageing,
trying to recall a word you know is there but tantalises,
out of reach –
like a one-year-old looking for the toy you showed her,
who can’t see it
because you’ve moved it behind a box.

 

Or rummaging in pockets
for your stick, knowing you’d used it on the train
and unplugged it
as you approached your stop; searching your briefcase;
delving desperately again
into all your pockets, until eventually you realise

 

your memory has gone.

 

Mantz Yorke lives in Manchester, England. His poems have appeared in print magazines, anthologies and e-magazines in the UK, Ireland, The Netherlands, Israel, Canada, the US, Australia and Hong Kong. His collection ‘Voyager’ is published by Dempsey & Windle.