10.27.2026 – memory is when

memory is when
you look back, answers float in
to who? what? when? where?

Memory is when you look back
and the answers float in
to who? what? when? where?
The members who were there then
are repeated on a screen
are recalled on a scroll
are moved in a miniature drama,
are collected and recollected
for actions, speeches, silences,
set forth by images of the mind
and made m a mingling mist
to do again and to do over
precisely what they did do once —
this is memory —
sometimes slurred and blurred —
this is remembering —
sometimes wrecking the images
and proceeding again to reconstruct
what happened and how,
the many little involved answers
to who? what? when? where?
and more involved than any
how? how?

Scroll by Carl Sandburg as published in War Time under New Section of The Complete Poems of Carl Sandburg (Harcourt, Brace: New York, 1970).

Celebrating Halloween at work today and little goodie bags of candy were passed out to everyone.

I undid the twisty on my goodie bag and poured the candy out on my desk there, with the chocolate, were two rolls of Smarties.

For most people, they were just two rolls of smarties.

For a lot of people I know, they would be the keys to memories.

A whole lot of memories.

Memory is when you look back …

and the answers float in ..

to who? what? when? where?

For myself, I look at a roll of smarties and I am back in church.

Not just any church, but Berean Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, Michigan where this one member, Mr. Berg, came every Sunday with an old cloth Old Kent Bank bag, filled with rolls of smarties.

Once church was over, every kid and not a few adults made their way over to this guy to get their Sunday roll of smarties.

It was such a part of Sunday that Mr. Berg became the honorary Grandpa of the entire Church and was universally addressed as Grandpa Berg.

As I remember it, if I was nearby, I would get in line myself.

This went on for years and I found myself married to Mr. Berg’s daughter.

We had 7 seven kids, and getting their Sunday Smarties was as much of their day as any other kid and maybe more so as they called him Grandpa BECAUSE he was their Grandpa.

Enjoy these memories a lot.

Miss that man more.

Memory is when you look back

and the answers float in

to who? what? when? where?

The members who were there then

are repeated on a screen

are recalled on a scroll

are moved in a miniature drama,

are collected and recollected

for actions, speeches, silences,

set forth by images of the mind

and made m a mingling mist

to do again and to do over

precisely what they did do once —

this is memory —