Unwelcome Voices

Voices in my head.

Voices that pass judgement 

on me and my actions.

Voices which criticize

their sting unmistakable -

attached to old memories.

Old tapes play 

like stuck records.

Are they 78's or 45's?

If a calmer, gentler voice should prevail

why do I 

ignore it,

minimize it,

push it aside?

Does that voice not 

deserve my attention,

have a solution?

A new thought strikes a trembling chord:

I have given all of my own thoughts 

names

dates

places

with space in my head.

No charge except to me.

I’ll send all the names back 

to their original memories

collecting their cards of judgment

for review.

I’ll see if I am telling myself the truth

by keeping these named cards, or

if I have tarnished memories 

because of one or two remote events.

“We do not remember days, we remember moments. The

richness of life lies in memories we have forgotten.”

~ Cesare Pavese