This poem can be listened to.
It's hard to know a little, or so that's what I thought
but now I'm reconsidering the worth of knowing lots.
It's fun to do the research, it's fun to learn the stories
I thought if I could know them all, it'd bring me wealth and glory.
I assumed a day on Jeopardy was always in the cards,
so I'd dig through textbooks eagerly and practice really hard
I wasn't great at homework, no time to slow down and review.
So my grades were never great but my tests would pull me through
I collected nerdy secrets, fun facts and lore galore
If you've seen a puzzle, I've probably seen it once before
I read so many books and I followed many plots
and turned the page through turns of phrase, words taught me thicker thoughts.
But now at half past thirty I don't feel quite the same
about the stacks of useless facts I have piled in my brain
I could kinda use that space and I find more oft than not
when I try to find particulars I can't quite reach the spot.
I get lost among the memories but don't find what I am seeking,
what's the point of knowing if you can't use it while you're thinking?
So I started letting go, I started cleaning house.
making space behind my face while expired thoughts fall out.
I wasn't really sure at first if forgetting more would hurt,
but finding something new, again, is quite a sweet dessert.
I return to shows I know I know, and watch them almost new.
The details, jokes, and subtle twists all do what they're meant to do.
And I can hear that story, the one you always tell,
as if it was the first time you pulled it off the shelf.
Amnesia isn't my desire. I hold some things quite dear
but now I think it's not so bad, when smaller things escape my ears.
Enjoying my poetry? I have over 70 of my best poems from 2018-2022 in a collection called Laser Fractal Space Magic. Available digitally and in paperback.