Engram (a pantoum)

“A hypothetical change in neural tissue postulated in order to account for persistence of memory-called also memory trace.” – Merriam-Webster Dictionary

amid the tunnel of yesterday and tomorrow
under pressure from wait and scurry
between sleep and wake, images borrow
and collapse under the weight of memory

under pressure from wait and scurry,
times past; built with a shifting foundation
and collapse under the weight of memory –
an awry mnemonic missing base isolation

times past built with a shifting foundation
face moments of persistent efface;
the mnemonic awry, missing base isolation
within the void – without a trace

face moments of persistent efface
as engrams are stacked to the sky
within the void, without a trace,
which oddly shifts the mnemonic awry

as engrams are stacked to the sky,
with numerous pathways of inception,
which shifts even the mnemonic awry
with levels of change and recollection

with numerous pathways of inception
from room-to-room evanescence,
with levels of change and recollection
who is the builder of reminiscence?

from room-to-room evanescence
between sleep and wake, images borrow;
who then is the builder of reminiscence
amid the tunnel of yesterday and tomorrow?

You can reach Dave Douglas at carpevelo@gmail.com.