[Poem] A Park Out Back
“An unnerving poem about memory, medicine, and a mother slipping away.”
”Includes artist’s commentary and toolkit.”
The Short FilmSound on recommended.
As Written“A Park Out Back “
By Raymond Cinemato
If at first she doesn’t remember you, don’t be sad.
If she even smiles, call it a win.
Take as long as you’d like. I can hold your briefcase and coat till you leave. When you enter, you’ll want to go quietly but make yourself known.
She’ll probably be looking out the window at the park in the back. The empty one with no trees or fences.
She finds it pleasant, especially on a clear day like today. That’ll be your chance to trigger her memory. Mothers will always remember their little babies, assuming you help.
Ask her how she likes the shadows but make it a joke because there are none and we wouldn’t want to confuse her more.
You showed up at an odd time. It’s been a couple of hours since her last dosage and it’s typically against policy to interrupt her routine. But given the circumstances, an exception can be made for you.
On second thought, that’ll actually be nice because sometimes she’s lucid in the windows in-between.
She’ll probably remember, if you remind her, of when you said you saw the light.
You know? The one through the kitchen window, over the fence, in your neighbor’s yard? The amber light that didn’t match the lights in the windows or the floodlights hanging out back? The one you said could warm the trees around it on a cold night?
We wish you could’ve seen her. She lit up telling us about how excited you got and how hard you tried to help her see it too. And to her credit, we heard she tried so hard. But
if you’ll recall, your back yard was allegedly really deep and layered.
Tell that tale. Vivid imagining is good for her mind and spirit.
But try not to talk about the rose clippings. They were a sweet gesture, but she simply won’t remember Mr. Gandy forgave you. I know you meant well but she cared less about your gift than doing the right thing.”
Key Imagery
Artistic Commentary“This was my first creative writing piece shared publicly, and I wanted it to do more than live on the page.
I’ve always been fascinated by the idea that memory is shaped not just by what we recall—but by how others frame that recall for us. This piece plays with unreliable memory, maternal connection, and liminal space.
Using my original art to feed AI tools like Sora, I built an eerie visual world that lets the viewer drift between warmth and dread. My goal wasn’t horror—but disquiet. Something closer to the unease of remembering something too late.
This project let me blend voice, text, and picture into a new kind of storytelling. I call it a “cinematic poem.” And it’s the first of many.”
Creative Toolkit“Among the many tools I have, the following were used for this project.
- Microsoft Word
- Adobe Fresco
- Sora
- Adobe Premiere
- TikTok
- Squarespace Website
- Squarespace Emails”
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