Memory

People once present to me with all their charisma and lust for life are now phantoms in my mind. I try to recall some image that captures their life’s essence but come up empty.

My wife says ” Do you remember Richard, that tall, skinny guy, bald head which he covered with that outlandish hat. He had that red bushy beard which grew down to his chest, always cracking jokes. You must remember. “

I recall the name and his allotted space in the gallery of my mind but Richard is just a reflected shadow lacking the colour and vitality of the original. Everything fades with time.