Forgetfulness
By Billy Collins
The name of the author is the first to go
followed obediently by the title, the plot,
the heartbreaking conclusion, the entire novel
which suddenly becomes one you have never read, never even heard of,
as if, one by one, the memories you used to harbor
decided to retire to the southern hemisphere of the brain,
to a little fishing village where there are no phones.
Long ago you kissed the names of the nine muses goodbye
and watched the quadratic equation pack its bag,
and even now as you memorize the order of the planets,
something else is slipping away, a state flower perhaps,
the address of an uncle, the capital of Paraguay.
Whatever it is you are struggling to remember,
it is not poised on the tip of your tongue
or even lurking in some obscure corner of your spleen.
It has floated away down a dark mythological river
whose name begins with an L as far as you can recall
well on your own way to oblivion where you will join those
who have even forgotten how to swim and how to ride a bicycle.
No wonder you rise in the middle of the night
to look up the date of a famous battle in a book on war.
No wonder the moon in the window seems to have drifted
out of a love poem that you used to know by heart.
Link to reading of this poem
What I love about this poem, is that I continue to grow older every year and with each passing year the knowledge that I had gained in high school, only four years ago, continues to drift away. The dates, formulas and plots of novels all dwindle away.
As future teacher, I don't want that to happen. They might forget most of what I teach, but what about the really important lessons? How will I make that stick? Will I find an app scavenger hunt that will allow them to engage with the material in a new and fun way? Or perhaps give them a lesson or assignment through wikispaces or prezi? Either way, technology seems to be what people are remember more and more lately. People can remember a great movie plot for years and years. Therefore, if you can't beat them, join them.
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