The Nearness of You

Sometimes, when you are thinking about something entirely different, like when last you ate or what sweater to wear, the continental plates of your memory will slip and you forget that she's gone. You'll think, "Maybe I should call her," and you may even pick up your phone and find her number that you've forgotten to delete in your address book. And before you push the button you'll remember. You'll remember and reprimand your mind for playing such a cruel trick, such an emotional tease. And you'll go back to trying to remember when last you ate, but this time, you won't remember anything. Just a feeling of absence. Of nothing. Forgetting is like the hiccups. Once you start, you can't stop.