A Light in the Mirror

apparition
is what we call
something that is there
that is not there

what do we call something
that is there
but is ignored
is it an apparition

i am one such perplexity
i am here, but i am not
a ghost to thousands
a phantom to the masses

i exist but in the minds of a select few
for all others are oblivious to my existence
as i wander contracted halls and dark streets
in light, and in night

but a playful memory
like the faint taste of a tart candy from months ago
lost in an abyss of humanity
encapsulated with an insanity

must i remind you daily
that i exist just as you
that i am here
just as you

or am i left to the distant recesses of the cranium
where is stored algebraic expressions, the taste of gum,
the name of some forgotten hero,
and the faces of the dead you never knew?