When different songs take me back
To the same place, they do not
Take me back to the same memory,
The same feeling; the contrast
Between mental pictures and
Muscle memory is visceral.

Visuals can easily be displaced with
Other, better ones, but it takes
Years of practice for the
Wary heart to unlearn all of
The reflexes it once needed
To just about survive.

Different words in the same voice,
The same sentiment sung two
Or three ways, each for
A different version of the person
Sitting next to me as I tried
To keep us both safe.

05/20/2024

Author's Note: Nostalgia: sentimentality for the past, from Greek words meaning "homecoming" and "pain".

Posted on 07/27/2024
Copyright © 2024 Richard Vince