Forgetfulness – A poem by Billy Collins.
In Billy Collin’s poem Forgetfulness, he describes the condition of forgetting things. He says the “the name of the author is the first to go followed obediently by the title, the plot, the heartbreaking conclusion, the entire novel which suddenly becomes one you have never read, never even heard of.” Collins believes it starts by forgetting the little things, then later the bigger and more important things. When younger, we forget things such as where we put our keys. When older, we forget names and faces and things that are important. It shows us the impact of the brain throughout aging. Our brain consists of different parts, and it can be deceiving to the body. It shows the way it works without explanation. The older we become, the more we begin to loose memory. Collins wrote this poem because he is entering this phase and has trouble remembering things. The things we think are on the tip of our tongue are actually forgotten. “And even now as you memorize the order of the planets, something else is slipping away, a state flower perhaps.” Collins believes that every time we learn something new, we forget something else. Our brain can only hold so much information that when we take things in, we lose something with it. This poem is intended for all types of audiences. It prepares younger people for the impact, and helps older people to accept that it is a normal process. No matter what age, everyone can relate to this poem. The title of the poem, Forgetfulness, is based upon the summary of the story. It’s a simple poem about the struggles of forgetting things. The poem consists of metaphors to help understand the point better. Forgetfulness is an inspiring poem of the daily challenges of getting older. About the poet – Billy Collins ( Born March 22, 1941) is an American poet, appointed as Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003. He is a Distinguished Professor at Lehman College of the City University of New York. Collins was recognized as a Literary Lion of the New York Public Library in the year 1992 and selected as the New York State Poet for 2004-2006. For more videos log onto http://www.youtube.com/pearlsofwisdom Also find us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pearlsofwisdomchannel Subscribe & Stay Tuned - http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=pearlsofwisdom
