How long it takes to reach
a moment
that is not the past
and even when you’re there
it’s difficult to be sure.
There is always something familiar
in the turn of a line,
the bend of a road,
an angle of neck,
a timbre almost native
in a stranger’s voice,
even an alien language
stubbled with memory.
How long it takes to reach
the present –
the moment before you remember
you’ve been here before.