Source: Poetry Everywhere
This video segment from Poetry Everywhere features former Poet Laureate Billy Collins reading his poem "Forgetfulness" at the Dodge Poetry Festival. The poem ranges through a catalog of things known and now forgotten. Collins uses humor and irony to take us through the experience of memory loss.
For a biography of poet Billy Collins, please visit the Poetry Foundation Web site.
Many poets have tackled the subject of aging. In “Forgetfulness,” Collins takes us on a journey through the loss of memory and the transition of growing older. He ponders aging and loss, including things learned in the past that may no longer be needed. He expresses bewilderment at changes that take place in one's mind, over time, and a sense of inevitability that we forget more than we would prefer. Is there only a finite amount of space for information in our brains, or is aging a matter of sorting and letting go? How and why are certain facts abandoned to oblivion? Is this a lament on loss, or can we be somewhat amused at the process?
Read a biography of the poet Billy Collins at the Poetry Foundation Web site.
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