to be remembered

Lately I've been making these lists. They have titles like "Things to be Remembered" and "Things Not to Forget".

These are lists of life's little details. Memories have a terrible habit of fading away. I will remember generalities - but even those get worn smooth into outlines of stories, people, places. It's like old mountain ranges that sag in gentle curves. The basic shape is still there, but they lose the vitality of the original. The things that survive in my memory are so limited.

I've been trying to capture the tiny things before they dissapear. The sprinklers that gush out onto the sidewalk while I'm waiting for the bus, the way the last of the summer heat feels through an open window, and the smell of my laundry detergent as I fold clothes.

These lists are scribbled on the backs of receipts, in the margins of my class notes, and in the pages of my journal. There is no way that I could possibly record everything, but I write down the details that seem important. There are some things I just don't want lost.