NAMEBLIND

I live in a world where names

are disposable

I have no choice in the matter

I am nameblind

It is as if I am surrounded by people

with familiar faces & no names

Like a huge convention

& all the nametags are blank

That place your brain reserves for names

is a slippery black hole in mine

I will be on an elevator

& someone I’ve known for years gets on

& I’m sweating because I have no idea

what they are called--none

So I’ve learned to tell people upfront

that I’m terrible at names

But they always say “Me too”

No I want to say You’re an amateur

Have you forgotten family members at a funeral?

Have your forgotten your lover’s name

when you were making love?

Have your children called you long distance

& do you find yourself thinking:

The younger one The blonde

The boy who kept running into walls

Then there is the complication of books

If you read Science Fiction—good luck

You cannot recall or pronounce

the alien names no matter how you try

The Lord of The Rings is an epic tale of

a brave hobbit named kerfgeuirayabvr

guided by the wizard rgdasgsrgpwrhv

who must fight the black sorcerer asrvijairdvpdav

& his evil overlord lsdfkgadufgvaip

to return Strider to the throne

Strider—I remember

That’s not a name it’s something you do

But now I sense skepticism

in the audience Some of you

have gone to college

Some of you are tempted to

raise your hands & say but I’ve

never heard of this ailment before

May I ask your name? Jules?

Well John neither have I

In fact Jack I’ve never met another human

who shares this handicap

So imagine James going through your whole life

with this little corner of shame

this tiny bit of No Can Do

which nobody believes

nobody shares

& nobody understands

Not even you Judy