One Poem by Evan Tassin

 

Amnesia

 

Forgetting. To forget.  

To erase history. To rewrite it by banishing it. 

To replace memories with mannequins. 

Pulling the song from names, 

Stilling sound. 

Sharpening eyes against a honing rod. 

Seeing the fault in all things,  

Stamping it. 

The hard moments, like overdue novels. 

Paying the fee with a metallic shame. 

 
I’ll keep on walking. A careful march. 

I’m sure that you’ll still be there, at the gate. 

Shaking the cool, steel beams with vigor. 

Your face framed by the black slats. 

Heavy metal clanging and stirring. 

The sound of hasty school bells. 

 
It’s time to go. It’s time to get to class. 

Open up your books to the page I left you on. 

It’s torn; there’s graffiti on the general’s face. 

It’s a history book. 

Of course it is. 

You’re the general, electric blues forward. 

They’re painting your portrait. 

They have no idea the things you’ve done. 

 
Forgetting. To release. 

To send the past into a void. 

To shut and lock the door behind you. 

Hands in your pockets when the poor beg. 

Keeping your mouth tight around relatives. 

So much to say, it’s easier to relinquish it. 

Ditching memory, ash from a cigarette. 

You’re the general tonight, honey. 

You can order me around, 

I won’t be here tomorrow. 

I’ll be long gone. 

Everything I owned lying  

Dead in the doorway.

Evan Tassin (he/him) is a writer and student studying history and religious studies at Louisiana State University. Evan's poetry often touches on subjects such as vices, trauma, perception, the body, and sexuality, among other topics. He is extremely thankful for the opportunity to present his work.