The Names

[Tiger the Lion]

The Names

There are names 
I need to forget.

I’m teaching myself to isolate 
them, to detach them 
from their personae,
turn them into artifacts
I can no longer interpret.

When they appear in my mind
I discourage their masks 
from taking the stage;
their enactments are not helpful,   (might "reenactments" make sense here?)
they turn into a riddle                   (perhaps "riddles" rather than "a riddle")
of imagined moments,                  (would "memories" work better)
stories I tell myself 
to reprove the present.

The present is all there is,              (I like this last stanza, but for my taste I would put all the line breaks in the natural places similar to the last 3 lines. Also, maybe consider using "deceive". )
all there will be. These names
obscure and mislead, they
tell me lies I can no longer afford
to believe.  It only remains to be seen
which of them will outlive me
which will be waiting for me
on the other side.

This is my first critique, so bear with me. I want to start by saying that obviously poets have different styles and readers have unique tastes. What someone may like or prefer is often drastically in contrast to someone else. Additionally, poems can often be interpreted in different ways, as can songs, and writers should often allow for readers to find their own meanings (IMO).

I think I wrote all of that in an effort to find my footing before proceeding into what is new territory for me. I am a novice, who recently joined. The above comments are not meant in any way specifically for your poem.

I know that we are instructed to give specific comments, BUT … I do want to honestly say that I like this poem. The idea of it and its presentation. Its depth.
Specific thoughts are with the lines.

This response is absolutely fine, and more than most can muster first time. Welcome to the site. It's not too late to jump into the LPiA prompts. See you around. Admin.