IT'S HARD TO REMEMBER

for mn & sy

It’s hard to remember when I planned to start my new life.

It’s hard to remember the handshake that started this whole thing. Fake spit was involved though.

It’s hard to remember that I used to love the smell of gasoline.

It’s hard to remember that not having an IRA this moment, and thinking about retirement is not the end of the world.

It’s hard to remember the thoughts you have while driving in a car.

It’s hard to remember that a gallon of gasoline hovered around a dollar.

It’s hard to remember that having a child does not complete the human experience. I think that would be death.

It’s hard to remember my license plate number.

It’s hard to remember that I shouldn’t always give out my social security number when asked for it.

It’s hard to remember that I had a crush on two Sarahs in elementary school. Both spelled with an h, and both seemed a bit young for me.

It’s hard to remember the lyrics of the songs I like to sing.

It’s hard to remember the names of faces I see every now and then or on a daily basis.

It’s hard to remember what causes me to wonder, after about 23-26 steps, whether or not I locked my car. After much internal debate, and regardless of whether or not I’m late for something, I usually return to my car to discover that’s it locked.

It’s hard to remember that I can drive my car tiger style if I wanted to, especially if my destination is a bar.

It’s hard to remember the year of my ’88 black chevy truck. It was my first car and it had an extra cab and bucket seats, a red pin stripe, and some extra power when accelerating.

It’s hard to remember that I used to collect gas money from my friends when we drove short distances to various places together.

It’s hard to remember that we used to ride the driers at the local laundromat, and see who could spin and stay in there the longest. I lasted 30 seconds once. We made use of a quarter in strange ways.

It’s hard to remember all the bad things I’ve done, sometimes.

It’s hard to remember that I start a new job pretty soon.

It’s hard to remember all the addresses of the places I used to live.

It’s hard to remember that history often repeats itself.

It’s hard to remember that I wanted to be an undercover cop, and I wanted my cover to be an ice cream truck driver.