FebulousFebruary 2026: The Old Photograph

Forgetting by Adrienne Ayers

Forgetting to remember is a strategy

I take.

It helped me through my infant years

It’s a thing I really rate.

Why not forget the fear?

Of the dark, or being alone? Forget Fear! Why be afraid of being on my own?

I never considered forgetting could be a mistake!

Forgetting to remember is a strategy I’ll take.

Forget the feeling of not fitting in.

Forget what other kids say.

Forget the sense you’re different in some subtle way.

Forget how great it feels to run, light fires & climb trees?

Accept the rule to dress ‘this way’, sit still, smile & cross your knees?

Forgetting to remember is a strategy I took.

Remember the Enid Blyton book that offered us George & Timmy the dog?

A precious image that hinted there was another me, and there was!

But forgetting to remember was like living in a fog.

Forgetting to remember was a strategy I chose.

Forgetting how great it was to wear ‘tomboy’ clothes.

Becoming a feminist could cover all those bases; dungarees & doc marten boots and

women only spaces!

Could you forget the way you felt when your best friend hugged you close?

The feel of her breasts against your chest? A feeling you loved the most?

Forgetting to remember meant living like a ghost, almost there but not quite alive! A

suppressed body like a post!

Forgetting to remember is a habit I developed over years. It’s one I thought I’d

recommend to help you with multiple fears.

However, forgetting was wrong for me I admit it & I say remember, remember,

remember in every possible way.