involuntary musical imagery
by Kristyn Stallings
Spindle branches on the tree tap a rhythm on my window
like a song to which I can barely remember the melody,
a song to which I try my hardest to remember the melody,
chasing staccato memories in circles in my head.
Memories of broken lyrics play on repeat in my head
a one sided conversation heard through a wall.
A one sided conversation heard through my mother’s wall,
“Service starts at 3 o’clock. Yes, he wanted to be cremated.”
The service started at 3 o’clock, by 5 he was cremated.
He came home in a box the next day.
He came home with a box one day,
containing a Casio keyboard,
A Casio keyboard on which I’m trying my hardest to play the melody;
the melody to a song I can barely remember.