my three stages of never forgetting (poemoff 12)

my three stages of never forgetting (poemoff 12)

I. my electric goat got sick

i tried to nurse her
back to health
the way a mother coos and frets
over the illness of her smallest infant--
she named her after her grandmother--
with yellow hands,
so thin skin.
she could see raised veins like mountains
in the flesh.

i wrap my goat
in the finest (imitation) wool blanket
and throw her to the flame.


II. but at least it stopped shrieking

no longer can i hear
the child's screams
or the whispy moonlight wind
blowing through my hair.

no longer can i (re)member.


III. my soul never pitches in

the diamond sparkles edenic.
i grab a twizzler
wash it down with overpriced beer and a hot dog.
the flavors mix bitterly.

i watch the players strive
to end where they've begun.
their efforts exhaust me
even though i only have to watch.



The titles for each section of this poem come from "MEANS MORE THAN LOVE" by Zack.