The Lost Poem
by Mark Danowsky

I scrawled it on a scrap
and shoved it in my pocket

At work, I removed and shredded
old papers from my desk drawers

Later, I searched for the poem
but it was not with the others

I turned my pockets inside out
and pictured the overfilled trash bag
with broken jewel cases poking through
already in the dumpster

No, I would not let myself
think about the contents
knowing the act of half-remembering
would destroy the original.