The Work of Forgetting

the work of forgetting

pays overtime

as they keep extending

the project deadline

the scope expands

shifts and changes

yet they still don't hire

anyone new

and I can't quite figure out

why I'm the one assigned

to this work

if I can never truly

get it right.

~~~

the work of forgetting

is a task

set to an exponential function

I keep nearing the goal

and it inches slowly away

just out of reach

so I can never fully move on

to the next project

sometimes I try to

multitask but it

fills my inbox with todos

the milestones turning red

a glaring reminder on a pop-up screen.

~~~

the work of forgetting

follows me home after

a long day

to settle begrudgingly

into the spaces left

between one breath

and the next

a constant pressure of

unfinished business

even with someone else's

arms wrapped comfortably

around me.

~~~

there are days I

contemplate quitting this job

for who in their right mind chooses

the work of forgetting

(that which refuses to be forgotten).