46

A Journal

Here’s what I forgot this week: The name of one of my favorite students, the name of that Carol Shields book I love, the name of that Willa Cather novel I love, the details of a story I read, just two days after I read it. This last failure was a real problem; I forgot the details while I was meeting with the student-author to discuss the story.

I don’t forget forever. The Stone Diaries, Death Comes for the Archbishop. My mother says she’ll forget a word, then work her way around it, but not be able to grab hold till the middle of the night, when her mind is elsewhere.