January 13, Thursday

Read, consider, respond:

The Body You Remember

Gary Jackson

Consider how it recalls the simplest movements.
How it always shoots the right foot first.
It never forgets where to hold tight the apex

of a cursive G before rounding her sloping curve.
The body never betrays.
But how many times have you

confused anticipate with expect,
forgotten the names of novels
you read, left your keys

in the door, lost your father's
birthday, your best friend's last name?
Memories flake like dead skin,

carpet the hardwood floors.
Your last birthday settling
over your first fight in sixth grade.

No, the body doesn't betray. Years of use
never dulls memory's blade. Every action
embedded through muscle into bone.

It's still able to unlock every act,
even if you've forgotten how.


from the book ORIGIN STORY / University of New Mexico Press