Persistence

Persistence

Computer scientists talk of persistence
It is a thing you want
You want your data to stay
In a hard disk, or in some machine
But someone should tell them
Things shouldn't be persistent
They've got it all wrong

Because my feelings are not bit vectors
That won't change,
And I don't need to look back
And see who I was
Only to feel regret
Welling up inside

Because the past should be perfect
And the little nuances
That we endured from day to day
Should be smudged out lines
In a black and white photograph
So you can laugh and say
"Look how funny I look!"
And then whisper softly
"It isn't the same anymore"

Because words should not survive
The constant rub of time
They should mingle in the paper
Till all that is left
Is the sweet musky smell
Of yellowed notebook sheets
So you can believe the illusion
That yesterday is far away

Because when things persist
They are not memories anymore
They are truths, and sadly,
You can't feel nostalgic about truths.