Do You Remember When?

Fleeting thoughts, rose tinted laced,
a parchment memory of yesterday,
to share wistfully with friends
like a cold beer on a hot afternoon,
when all our troubles meant nothing.

The wild times seemed so blasé,
we were indestructible heroes,
eternal, with life as our crusade,
where fun came far more simply,
and anger at the world always righteous.

But are our own histories always so great?
Forget not the unrequited love
which comes with pain that still haunts,
how an unexpected New Year’s kiss
nailed you straight to love at first sight.

It coagulates, a retardant dousing the flames
with all of the other not-meant-to-be’s,
putting a reality spin on memory soundbites,
placing all those little spidery wrinkles
at the corners of your smile.