Emma forgets

forgets to close the door

to turn off the taps

to pay for things in shops

the names of her family

the end of a 

                    sentence

Her train of thought thunders 

through the ghostly stations

she blooms and withers in a moment

suddenly 13 again

then not

pebbles thrown carelessly

against the dark window 

frighten her

 

she forgets how beautiful she once was,

curls up and sobs for no reason

and turns the light on

to sleep

she searches beneath her pillow

 for her fiance's creased photograph 

she has forgotten what his kisses felt like

but meets him up on the roof 

for coffee and cucumber sandwiches

her tears fall silently as she

remembers sometimes

how lost she has become

Author's Note

my cousin has severe depression. she hasn't left the house for 6 years