Friday, December 4, 2020

The Past

 

THE PAST DOES NOT EXIST

 

During the Thanksgiving visit, my son said, “The past does not exist.” For instance, Napoleon doesn’t exist. Nor does Marilyn Monroe. Or Amelia Earhart. Or Gandhi. Or Malcolm X.

 

In the sense that we can’t call them on the phone, that’s true. According to my dictionary, the definition of exist is to live, to have “objective being.” Objective confused me, so I went back to the dictionary for "not dependent on the mind for existence."

 

Then we can also say quill pens don’t exist nor ice boxes nor passenger pigeons.

 

But do memories exist? Do thoughts? If we say these don’t exist, what would we be without them? If they don’t exist, then what is the word to describe their presence in us?

 

The poetry in my chapbook “Time Carries All Things Away” deals with the past and how it has come to the present in me. Maybe my parents don’t exist, but I exist. I have memories of them. Do my memories exist?

 

My chapbook exists and you can buy one from me or from Main Street Rag. It costs $12.00 plus shipping. Available from me at fairviewnewssc at gmail.com. Or Main Street Rag at http://mainstreetragbookstore.com/?s=bonnie+stanard.

 



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