anatomy of a memory
‘anatomy of a memory’ by Althea Luna (@lynamoth)
take my eyes.
remove and renew.
i need not see the world any longer,
when i know i had her in my arms not so long ago.
leave me with nothing but myself to dwell on times gone past.
the darkness will be of comfort,
for perhaps in it, i will find remnants of the happiness i once earned.
take my teeth.
replace and restore.
the rotting flesh,
the bleeding gums,
the yellowing tar,
build me another fine set of gritting, lying, gnawing teeth.
a single whisper of yearn and mountains of sweet nothings will escape my lips no more.
take my tongue.
refresh and refine.
the dagger that sits in its place has dulled, and i beg of you to sharpen it!
a sword might do,
to ward off all who despise me,
and in repayment, to scare off all who love me.
does a spoken word mean anything if it doesn't pierce the heart it was meant for?
take my arms.
carve me anew and dispose of that which remains.
i no longer care for the limbs that caressed the light of her soul,
the same soul of hers i found discarded in the depths of a garbage bin i came across yesterday.
as if the compass that used to pull me home now exists as the gum stuck on my shoe.
take my brain.
remember and rearrange.
demand of the spirit you left to haunt my dreams to be gone,
and watch as my faith crumbles in the futile reality of it all.
hands,
face,
hips,
warmth,
slack.
no trace or evidence left behind.
take my heart.
rebuke and resolve.
regain what is left of my sanity and rebuild what once was.
the sorry hollow that sits at the pit of my chest has had no choice but to stay near-empty.
an epiphany came to me through a nightmare of memories that revisited me for the last time:
i may be the farthest thing from redemption,
but the closest i can get is closure.
i return.
Althea Luna is a junior high-school student based in the Philippines who has harvested a deep love and passion for literature, film, and fine arts. She aspires to become a full-time artist in the near future, and hopes to learn to inspire and instill creativity in people through her work.
