National Poetry Month: Day #8

Because there are differences between documenting events and remembering them, I offer this poem originally published on April 19, 2000:

Memento

Some people remember like cameras,
capturing every detail
in a glance, recalling
flawlessly the shade
of blue the sky became
beyond the trees, the height
of the grass, and the number
of squirrels scampering
for popcorn by the lake.

I remember like a painter,
taking liberties with time,
and space, inviting the dead
or merely disappeared
to join the party under a purple
sky full of dragon
flies on this rolling patchwork
green where all manner
of creatures compete
for your attention.

©2000 L.A. Smith.