Sharon Nie, class of 2024
I remember what I wore
It was brown
No, it was black
…Or was it gray
Why can't you stay
In my mind
Like I'd prayed
On that sunny day
No that cloudy day
No that windy day
I remember
'Cause it was my birthday
It was two days before my birth-day
Or was it three
I don't care
It's what I please
It was black
It was windy
There was sun
There was sea
It's all in my mind
It's whatever I please
I was happy
I was scared
I was anxious
What if you flee
Until I can't see
Or hear
Or breathe
Like it was
Like it really was
'Cause all I see
Is what-ever
I please
This poem is based off of a one-day road trip from a few years ago that ended up becoming one of the happiest days of my life. At the time of writing, I had reminisced back to this day countless times in my head, yet the harder I tried to remember it and cement the details in my brain, the muddier the details became. The poem started out simply as a document of the road trip, but as I tried to delve deeper into its details, I began questioning my memory and wondering how much I was glamorizing the experience. This sense of uncertainty is captured as the poem unfolds, until I reach a conclusion: it doesn't matter what the truth is, because I control my memories and get to choose how I want to see or feel about my experiences. Past events cannot change, but one's memory is limitless. As time passes by, our memories of an event can change and so can our feelings toward it.