Everything Becomes Memory

 "CLINK CLINK"

So goes the ice bumping into my lips

As I guzzle down the last of this Sprite.

A soft yet slightly bumpy texture

Greets my fingers as I fiddle

With the tablecloth at this booth

In the distance, I hear

An obscure Michael Bublé song

Playing on the restaurant's speakers.

I've been eagerly awaiting

This lunchtime rendezvous with my best friend

For what seemed like ages.

Now it's here.

The noises, the music, the smells

They're all so vibrant right now.

But eventually they'll become memories.

Everything does.

You wait for it to arrive.

And then it becomes another thing to remember.

Nary a single texture, taste, or any other sensation,

No matter how pleasant or repulsive it may be

Lasts eternal.

That awkward date

Where I sat across

From a woman spewing transphobia

Was finite.

That time I was lost in Dallas,

Temporary.

Laughing with friends,

never lasts forever.

It's all fleeting,

Fodder for the psyche

To eventually obsess over.

Yet it doesn't feel like that 

In the moment.

Life's highs and lows 

Are eternal as they're happening.

Everything becomes memories

But it's so hard to remember

During the turmoil of existence.

As I type this out,

Clacking latop keys

Echo in the living room.

Snoring pugs curled in my lap

Also emit tremendous noise.

I pause writing

And look down at these snuggled critters.

My fingers greet smooth, soothing pug fur

And I know I'll never forget this.

These noises, sensations, and bonds

Will eventually become memories.

Worth cherishing.

Nothing lasts.

Yet with memories, everything is permanent....