WINTER ' FOURTEEN
Memory Games by Constance Brewer
All the cards lie face down on the table.
I turn them over in pairs, seeking mates.
A smiling monkey, a grinning donkey.
Next round, a prancing show horse,
an elephant balanced on a ball. Two
tigers later I begin to clear the cards
and match each with its counterpart.
I'm trying to train my mind to be
more responsive to cues. Laughing
dogs don't cut it, though. I shuffle
the kid's deck and place each card
face up this time. I still can't match
a circus bear to a circus bear without
slow perusal of each and every animal.
I'm convinced the camel has no mate
until only six cards remain. What internal
decider I once had has faded, and left
me to play children's games without
Title: My Inner Colours, Artist: Máire Morrissey-Cummins
the cut-throat surety of a child. I deal
myself a full house of lions, and play
on into the night.
The Linnet's Wings Poetry, Winter 2014