Circa 1986?

Ones That Got Away

I can't give you any names;

I only remember the certain situations.

It would be then, and only then,

That something would strike my imagination.

In a car with both hands to stay on the wheel;

In a bathroom and obvious difficulties;

At my mother's house during Thanksgiving dinner;

Walking home from work in the middle of winter.

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And I can't believe I didn't write down their names,

The names of the ones that got away.

I can remember being told to always write it down,

And to always keep a notebook around.

However, now I have no memory and have no concept

Of what the moment produced.

If there are any past glories, they're secrets cruelly kept

From the one with everything to lose.

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Now I can't even try to bring them back.

I wouldn't know what to do with them anyway.

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And I can't believe I didn't even write down their names,

The names of the ones that got away.

I can remember preaching about the merits and uses

Of some kind of recording book.

The difference now means that I mourn for nameless friends

That I did not save when I should.

The difference now means that I lost all the amends

That I had once thought were good.

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Now I can't even try to bring them back.

I wouldn't know what to do with them anyway.

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Did I learn my lesson?

Here's one that will never get away.

I may grow tired of her.

I may even try and change her

But today I did learn

Not to let them all get away.