When I was young I was as smart as a tack

how I wish I could get my memory back

I could recite a poem and recall a name

I was cute and clever, on top of my game

but now I struggle to remember a word

my mind goes blank and I feel  absurd

I remember the sound or a strangely linked group

but the word I am seeking slips out of the loop

I gaze at a face that I know quite well,

the name escapes me, Oh bloody hell

to cover the slip I use darling or dear

till three in the morning when the name reappears

folk say it is stress and I need to beware

of working to hard, I must take care

but the advice eludes me, I tend to forget

till the very next time my memory’s upset