Awkward Moments (a poem)

This is one of those
awkward
moments,
we all have them
and yet in the midst of it
I feel so foolish,
exposed,
helpless,
and alone.

You say my name.
You know me.
I know you too.
I love your hair,
how it perfectly frames your face,
a face I don’t recognize.

Where do I know you from?

“FROM,”
that’s the whole problem.
My memory,
your name,
your face,
that hair,
they are all attached to a place
…and we aren’t there.

We are here,
in this time,
this place.

I can’t remember
and it scares me.
I stand here,
afraid to be real,
honest,
vulnerable,
judged.

Mostly, I fear that I have let you down,
that I made you feel insignificant.
Has my shortcoming made you seem
unimportant
or worse yet,
forgettable?

My mind has a tendency to let go
of names,
and faces are inextricably linked to places.
It seems I left yours there
and I can’t go back for it now.

So, I stand here
a puzzled look in my eyes,
a smile on my lips,
words in my mouth,
“Hi, it’s good to see you too.”
…and a slight whirring sound
emanating from between my ears.

Maybe that’s why they constantly ring.
Is it the sound of my mind
furiously searching
the database of faces,
names, and places?

…and that hair,
your perfect hair.

~ elr

This poem is dedicated to Lindsay.

Image: ID 109009704 © Dmitry Kotin | Dreamstime.com