THE HEART OF AN ELEPHANT

I have the heart of an elephant;

I remember everything –

a look, a smile, a sigh.

I am heavy with the weight of the past –

I wear it like dusty clothes.

My head is a dustbin

and I can’t empty the rubbish.

I’m full of useless memories –

the number of the bus

that I used to take to school

when I was little,

the names of the streets where I have lived.

But your voice only comes back to me

in my dreams.