words slither and slide,
elude retrieval
balking recall—
I trace their flight
fish-like, flickering
Slipping beyond memory’s reach
tantalizingly out of grasp.
taunting.

I know I know—
the mind insists,
elusive, evanescent, evasive—
the mind resists recollection,
snagged in fog and mist

minutes later
the word erupts—
spouted to empty air
or to a startled listener—

too late, too late
past usefulness.

Originally written: unknown - 11/1/2025