Memories

Some memories are immortalized
as portraits in the mind's museum
others eventually die wandering the streets of a forgotten neighborhood.


They were all in color,
back when they were still the property of the present
and now that the ownership has transferred to the past
some of those crisp feelings still linger
even though the colors have faded to black and white.


Memories are no less than soldiers,
each squad with their own mission.
Sunny memories serve as a comfort zone for a cloudy mind.
Lessons learnt act as defenders of the mind.


With every passing second,
the colors fade to black and white
and a memory takes birth.
Simultaneously oblivion silently murders other memories
their ghosts still wander the streets of the mind.
Had that memory been shared between more than one person
all it would take is another mind that remembers, to resurrect a dead memory.


The fate of a memory,
Immortality or death
lesson learnt or comfort zone
Perception decides all.


I thought of including an explanation for my free verses. It is of course my aim that you're able to understand them without an additional 1000 words but its better to be on the safe side! So here goes:-
This free verse or poem is about memories as you can tell. The first line about memories being 'immortalized refers to how we tend to hold certain memories dear, no matter how much time passes we always find ourselves going back to those memories. Memories that are insignificant on the other hand are eventually forgotten ("die wandering a forgotten neighborhood").  
Flashbacks in black and white and the present in color was a popular tv trend. On a similar note, the present is in color and the past in black and white. And what we call memories today once used to be the present ("ownership transferred to the past .........the colors have faded to black and white")
The feelings when something happens is usually more profound and intense than when its looked back at as a memory.("some of those crisp feelings still linger ")


The comparison of memories with soldiers is far deeper than I have covered. I have only covered two squads of memories :- lessons learnt and happy memories but there are many more! Pardon me I  just couldn't think of a poetic line for 'etc'. Happy memories cheer you up and lessons learnt make you stronger ("Sunny memories serve as a comfort zone for a cloudy mind.

Lessons learnt act as defenders of the mind.") Every second memories are made, even the very action of hitting a key or reading something gets registered as a memory. ("With every passing second.....a memory takes birth")

Any Harry Potter fan would be familiar with the memory erasing spell 'obliviate'. Oblivion is the act of forgetting. Here forgetting a memory is referred to as the death of a memory. I called oblivion a silent killer of memories because we never realize we have forgotten something until we remember it once again. ("Simultaneously oblivion silently murders other memories") 

Usually its impossible to truly forget something, most of the time all it takes is something to jog your memory. We say that we don't remember our dreams but then quiet often when we hear or see something related to the dream the next morning, we're able to remember it. Theres always at least a fragment of a memory floating around somewhere.("their ghosts still wander the streets of the mind") 

Most of the time it takes someone else to jog your memory for you to remember something you have forgotten. 

("Had that memory been shared between more than one person...... to resurrect a dead memory.")

And here remembering something you had forgotten is referred to a 'resurrection of a dead memory'.

There is nothing good or bad, perception is what makes things seem as they are. Much like that its our perception that decides whether a memory will be cherished or forgotten just as quick, whether it will comfort us through the changing times or make us stronger.("The fate of a memory.....Perception decides all")