Memory

A flash of bare skin
A splash of pale light
A spiraling tumbling folly
A memory brought on by the night
Can memory deserve such banter
such worship and love as this
like the tangle of flesh and challenge
or the sweetness brought on by a kiss
Can memory be a dream or a dancer
Can hope be forgotten and left
like the notes or the bars of a chorus
with no treble and no bass cleft
Must they always shine on in the darkness
as the years pass by and collect
like cumulus clouds and raindrops
falling so soft on my neck
or will they grow dull and passive
will they fade as the days grow old
will only the edges get fuzzy
but the truth of my memory hold