THE BENEVOLENTLY SELECTIVE

THE BENEVOLENTLY SELECTIVE

As the keeper of the body I was born into,
long ago I embraced a simplistic formula
with flexible boundaries I felt comfortable within,
expecting only three ground rules of consistency:

The past maintained history, singular and plural,
accompanied by memories.
The present created future histories as well
as aiding the mind’s retention.
The future was responsible for deciphering
moments to be treasured or not.

But chronological aging does not play by rules
and soon within the cranium
an au contraire war was raging between the frontal
and temporal lobes to decide
which side had the right to determine the values of
what was discarded, what was saved.

While the non-participating grey matter filled the
skull’s metaphorically designated stadium,
the clandestine battle raged inside the cranium,
ignoring sanity’s plea to be reinstated. 

So I appealed to a higher court to hear my case,
providing an example like
my not caring what I had for breakfast years ago
and would rather retain events
from childhood on that sculptured the life I had lived:
the setbacks, love, regrets and joys.

Not knowing that the verdict was pre-ordained by the
stacked jury of the lobes’ egos,
I innocently trusted perceptions of justice
and waited in silent patience.
The non-participating spectators gasped in shock
by the court's announced decision:

Retention of memories are seldom objective
because the natural aging process is defective,
and the best older souls can hope for is to be blessed
with a mind that is benevolently selective. 

Reviews

[B. C. Carlson]

Hey, I really like this piece. Not sure why no one else commented on it... The first couple lines drew me in, and I felt like the message was good and thought-provoking. Reads a bit like a spoken word

[Willys Watson]

Thank you. It was inspired by us having selective memory as we age.