Memory Lane by Jennifer Bresnick

Memory Lane

Jennifer Bresnick

Who knows how long I’ve wandered in that dark place where it seems

That my hopes are torn to tatters by the shards of broken dreams?

I look up and I wonder where the stars have gone tonight:

All I see are spots of brilliance that are furious, freezing bright.

No matter how I ache and scream and plead with mindless shades,

My cries don’t even echo as they wither and they fade;

The timeless, tuneless nothing whence is conjured up our fate

Is fairy lights and springtime to this shadow where I wait.

Haunted by the murmurs of “I wish I was” and “should,”

I look up and I wonder if the stars are gone for good.

The buildings in my memory and the constructs of my mind

Are wrapped around with warnings, with their windows leering blind.

The air is thick with ravens and the dust of all my tears;

I haven’t seen the sunlight here for many, many years.

The cadence of my footsteps is a sad and sorry song,

A soft and wild melody that follows me along.

The monuments and headstones to my grand and feeble plans

Reach grasping from the landscape like so many twisted hands.

The howling of my conscience makes me shiver with despair;

I wrap my pride around me as I hurry here and there.

Who knows how long I’ve wandered in the darkness and the gloam?

The many paths of Memory Lane are treacherous to roam.

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Memory Lane was featured in the First issue of Vagabonds. To read the full issue, take a look at our Archives!

Bio: Jennifer Bresnick is a history lover and epic fantasy author whose debut novel, THE LAST DEATH OF TEV CHRISINI, has recently been released to rave reviews. When she’s not writing down the conversations in her head to give them the appearance of respectability, Jennifer can be found crocheting silly animal hats, experimenting in the kitchen, and on a completely unrelated note, putting out kitchen fires. Please visit www.jenniferbresnick.com for more information.