[Header Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash]

sometimes she couldn’t remember
why her parents named her aphasia

a memory sitting wordless
in the center of her chest

like a hint of a dream floating
around the edges of her mind

unwilling or unable to find her tongue
to be spoken into a story

her parents were careless and happy
always talking or laughing or both

aphasia often closed her eyes
and recalled them dancing and smoking

steeling her memories against forgetting
since they had long ago left this life

before sleeping she whispered her name
the way her mother did to wake her

her mother always gently toughing her face
asking if she had a beautiful dream

she did remember that she mostly replied
she knew she had dreamed but couldn’t recall

so she’d whisper her name like a prayer
and remind herself to remember her dreams

but aphasia still woke alone and wordless
hoping this would be a day to remember

—P.L. Thomas