Every place I have ever been is with me
A kind of memory map of my personal geography
Revisited in odd moments in no particular order
Inner experiences etched into my identity
Nothing exists now as I remember it
Any more than time stands still
And yet this ongoing assemblage of images
Appears in the present like a waking dream
I listen to you tell stories of your life
In Detroit Warren Philadelphia Oswego
Before our time lines crossed in New York
Though Detroit is part of me too
Even though I was not there with you then
I become an observer hearing what you say
Feeling your feelings the good and the bad
Knowing that much of what happened to you
As you have heard from me over time
A mixture of painful and pleasant recollections
But come to think of it that has changed
And I think it’s because of you
All bad thoughts seemingly vanished
Somehow without my conscious effort
Any negative associations disappeared
From the landscape of my ruminations
It happened by itself as it were
After many years being together with you
Influenced by the easy way we get along
Enjoying the life we have
