Before

Once they were dreams,

dreams like clouds floating fluffily

in the bright blue sky,

or nightmares stuck fast

in the dark.

That was before,

before

they became real,

I didn’t know

couldn’t tell

before

they became real.

And then they became memories

faded like washed out clothes

soon to be discarded

then forgotten.

I thought I would forget.

I think I did forget

but that was before,

before

the soap suds broke them down

as if they were a virus,

We washed them clean,

skimmed the scum

so that the newly rinsed memories

could live,

live as brightly 

as before.

https://www.lionandlilac.org/2024/02/01/two-poems-lynn-white-2/