Handfuls of Dust

I Cannot Recall

I cannot recall a time where love and doubt did not coexist.

An ovarian cyst–

growing inside Mother Nature's uterus

since the curse of Cain was brought upon him by his own fists,

and Thomas demanded to examine the scars in his savior's wrists.

I cannot recall a time before communicating in charades primarily.

Limited vocabulary–

with meanings that are entirely arbitrary

since the Tower of Babel fell, creating confusion and solitary,

and Julius Caesar and his men set fire to the Alexandria library.

I cannot recall a time that intimacy did not feel like separation.

Genital mutilation–

diminishing reciprocal pleasure and sensation

since Aristotle proclaimed men as the principal players of procreation,

and Genghis Khan used sex as a military tactic to conquer nations.

In every lost memory I try to retrieve of you–

I cannot recall a time in which you were someone I knew that I knew.