He wants me misremembering his past,
as if his wife were honest even then,
his mother kind, his party life a blast.
Another whom I’ve talked with all her life
describes herself as if she has amassed
a history of work she never did.
And then there’s my obsession, by contrast:
to not forget. Remind me once again –
I can’t make others’ recollections last.

(Magic 9)