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The Zeignarnik Effect by Hollay Ghadery

By League of Canadian Poets | October 14, 2022

Poem name: The Zeignarnik Effect Poet name: Hollay Ghadery Poem: For the record, it’s not the Fat Cities, beers on tap closing shift blues or names of regulars I remember most—not even the one who brought me bear meat from his hunting trip, even though I’d said, No, no, thank you. And no, I won’t eat that not because it’s meat but because it’s bear and how he’d looked puzzled a moment before he breathed, Ahhhhhhh, I see. But Makwa won’t hold survival against you. What I remember is the busiest weekend of summer, tables packed, my gilded reflection floating in the bar’s l o n g, disilvered mirror while I poured drinks, left them huddled and sweating on the glass rail how I’d said nothing, not even No thank you, when a waitress put in an order and said, Don’t rush this one. Not like Indians fucking tip anyway. The Zeignarnik Effect: Named after Soviet psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik, the Zeignarik effect refers to the theory that people remember unfinished or interrupted tasks better than completed ones. Many people experience intrusive thoughts and anxiety that come with these unfinished tasks that have the effect of reinforcing memory. End of poem. Credits and bio: Copyright © Hollay Ghadery Hollay Ghadery is a multi-genre writer living in rural Ontario on Anishinaabe land. She has her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph. Her fiction, non-fiction, and poetry have been published in various literary journals and magazines, including The Malahat Review, Room, CAROUSEL, THIS, The Antigonish Review, Grain, and The Fiddlehead. Fuse, her memoir of mixed-race identity and mental health, was released by Guernica Editions’ MiroLand imprint in Spring 2021. Her debut collection of poetry, Rebellion Box, is due out with Radiant Press in spring 2023.

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