I Don’t Remember

I don’t remember what it was like
learning how to read or write,
But since I’m doing these two actions all the time,
it must have most assuredly happened.
I’m living proof of that fact.

When our kids recite the alphabet
We ooh and aah, fantastic! Do it again!
But do they remember that moment of learning?
Repetition is most certainly the foundation.

Do You? Remember those first times of life?
When you became aware of words and pages
And began the process of expression
In what you enjoyed, reading and writing?

I have sample writing from those youngest years
Crude, and barely able to stay in bounds
But that was so long ago, and my penmanship today?
Fluid. Smart. Stylish. Yes.
But hand cramps keep my writing short.
After all, who cares about lines anyway!

Since I’m a reader and a “typist” today,
I find they both exist hand-in-glove
One without the other, the other without the one,
It simply cannot be found.
Why? One fills and the other expresses,
The value of learning and experiencing.

So, perhaps that’s a key. We read to fill our minds.
Once that process is well underway, we will be free
To ponderously fill pages and screens with words.
What I’ve learned from this tells so much about ourselves.
The words, in and out, are all in the same place. My Mind.

I may not remember learning to read,
But I do remember endless hours with books.
P.D. Eastman, and Dr. Seuss, were my go-to books
and were quickly replaced by Franklin W. Dixon
Who, we later learned, was a pen name for many writers
They all wrote the stories of the fabled Hardy Boys.
In my youth? Yes, there were a few comic books.
But I was a “words” kind of guy
Picture stories faded out as I grew up.

Today, books of a thousand pages do not give me pause
They only take longer as I scan the pages for the story
I’m nothing, I suppose, unless I take ownership of words
More and more, my Kindle has become
My library of books. They are available as I travel more and more.

So, I took a few moments this morning to recall.
What did I learn when I was young?
My mind has a lot of space, so I read to make it full!
Today, even this morning, I’m still filling up space
And I’m getting close to sixty and eight.

Let’s not focus on the one.
Without thinking about the other
Though my penmanship is free-flowing
I enjoy writing on graphing paper
To keep my sloppy lines better aimed
From left to right, top to down,
And front to the very back of the book.
I’m not interested in staying in the lines
But since most of my “write” time is keyboard
I’m locked into lineless lines. Screen time!

So, we may not remember the lessons and exercises
That started our learning and joy processes
To fill those empty spaces of mind
But the case is made, we spent time learning
Even if we have no memory of it.