Poem: I Cannot Think of That Word

I Cannot Think of That Word

the one that I know I mean
and which I need if I am to say
what it is I am prepared
to express, though I am
unprepared, do not have with me
that one word, and I know
I could look it up, but
that does not feel right
when I can feel it there
in my mind waiting,
lurking around a corner
just out of reach,
and I know how much better
I am going to feel
when I pry it loose,
like worrying a bit of corn
stuck in the gums
just besides a molar,
and how much better
it will be to remember,
to rely on my own mind
and not look it up,
if only I can make that happen,
can pull it out again,
or I will just wait for it
and not speak of anything
except the word I do not know.

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