What I Should Have Said

“Preserve your memories: They’re all that’s left you.” — Simon and Garfunkel, Bookends “The thing about time is that time isn’t really real.” — James Taylor, Secret O’ Life “How come I miss what I never knew?” — James Taylor, Baby Boom Baby “We seem to find meaning in what’s never happened. Our self-portraits use a lot of negative space.” — Joshua Rothman image by AI; my own prompt — ‘me’ imagining worst-case scenarios A few weeks ago, I was sitting in a café when an older woman (even older than me!) with a walker, seated at the next table, who was apparently a regular customer, turned to me and engaged in what is euphemistically called ‘small talk’. We talked for a few moments and then she noticed someone passing by the café’s window, rather flamboyantly dressed, apparently headed for the nearby cannabis dispensary. The woman scowled and, indicating the dispensary, said: “I don’t like that place, or the people it attracts. Shouldn’t have been allowed.” Then she paused, and clearly…