Bedrieger Junction

The Word I've Forgotten

The word I've forgotten,
the important one,
as gut bacteria
are ignored and important,
the word that wasn't there
when its work sat
heavy, ready to be delivered,
the word that was not
a learnéd word
but weathered and calloused,
a precise though not
a scientific word,
left behind a number,
a forwarding address
if I knew the street
or the city or the continent.
I imagine it
near the ocean under
a hot sky's glare,
hypnotized by waves,
forgetting to listen
for itself.

-- Mort Duffy
4-7-2022