Palimpsest

Just a Thought

It was there just a heart-beat ago,

Dancing on the tip of my tongue.

And it was good, so very, very good

Good enough to shake the literary world

Sit up and take notice,

Make it stand it on its stodgy old head

And sing praises to my wit.

It came to me in a random burst

Of neurons and faded photographs

That seemed to make perfect sense

At the time.

The perfect capstone for this thing

That plagued me for days or moments

Needing only the final flourish

To put an end to it

And call it ‘Done’.

Like I said ‘It was good’.

It was an idea

And I could give it voice.

Did I say ‘it was good’?

Something happened, 

Something terrible and frightening.

Ever unsure of myself

I had this pressing need to get it down,

Secure it on a page

And the time between thought and action

Scattered the idea like dandelion parasols

Sailing up and away

Or a meteorite caught by the corner of my eye

Trailing a dimming arc.

It was gone

Before it had time to register

Now here I am, staring at this blank page

Or half-written line

At a loss for what I should do or say.

I know this muse is fickle.

Perhaps she likes to tease.

To show me a coquettish phrase

Then dare me with heady scents

And half-glimpsed phrases

To complete the scene

If I put her aside for a time

Perhaps those words will return

From whence they came

Quick, pin them to the page

Before they take flight

Then I can put an end to it

Put a final end to it

Add a final flourish

And call it ‘Done’

But it’s never really done

Is it

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