Oooooh You think you remember? How interesting. Dead screen, red eyes, two-four-five, TV still talkin’ but the show’s not live, Old room, cold floor, shadows outside, Something in the static keep saying I’m I’m— I’m— I’m— Back in the house but the house ain’t right, Hallway long and the door too wide, Mom’s voice somewhere on the other side, Big bro on the couch but his face won’t load— Fuck. Rewind that. Summer sun with a sickly glow, Bike in the yard from a life ago, Christmas twice but the years move quick, Tree lights blink like a memory glitch. Spring came— new face— forgot that name. Fall came— blood trail— cold-ass rain. Summer— winter— summer again— When the fuck did I stop being ten? CORRUPTED MEMORIES SKIP— FRAME— SKIP— Whole damn life on a broken disc. CORRUPTED MEMORIES CLICK— FLASH— GONE— Know that face but the name won’t come. Ooooooh— Channel-channel-channel, flip that shit, Every station got a piece that I missed, Cartoon flicker in a dark-ass room, Then I’m thirty-something way too soon. Fast-forward years like click-click-click, First kiss gone but I know that shit hit, Old friend’s voice buried deep in the mix, Try to pull it back— Can’t. Can’t. Can’t. Brain like a tape getting dubbed too much, Every replay lose another little touch, Faces turn ghosts, voices get crushed, But one old sound and it all erupts— You forgot me. Who said that? Run it— run it— run that tape, Old me staring from another place, Same damn eyes but a stranger’s face, Every year gone without leaving a trace. Mom— bro— home— snow— Christmas lights in the window glow. Deer trail— cold breath— orange vest— Why can I remember that fucking smell? But not the rest? Perhaps memory isn’t an archive. Perhaps… it’s a graveyard. DIG— DIG— DIG through the files in my head, Some still breathing, some already dead. CLICK— CLICK— CLICK and the years go by, Whole childhood flashing behind my eyes. SUMMER— FALL— WINTER— SPRING— Faster every time that the old tape spins. SUMMERFALLWINTERSPRING— SUMMERFALLWINTERSPRING— OOOOOOOOH— MEM-MEM-MEMORY— CORRUPTED— MEM-MEM-MEMORY— CORRUPTED— DON’T— FORGET— DON’T— Eventually… you won’t know whether you’re remembering the moment… or remembering the last time you remembered it. Come on… Mom said we can stay up.
