Piedra de sol Theme of Memory and the Past

The speaker in "Piedra de sol" is totally obsessed with the past and his memories, even though he's a pretty forgetful guy. In fact, the whole poem is a battle he has inside of his own mind to try to remember and recover the lost past. And who can blame him—he traveled the world, spent time with lots of girls, and now he's an old man waiting to die. We'd probably want to revel in our memories, too.

1. Why is it so hard for the speaker to remember what he is trying to remember? 
2. Why is forgetting such a terrible thing? Aren't some things better left forgotten?
3. Many of the speaker's memories take the form of images, not actions or events. Why do you think that is?
4. Do you think that the speaker really does regain his memory in the poem? When does this happen?

Memory is all the speaker has, and that's why it is so important to him.

The speaker uses memory to escape the present and the future, because he's so unhappy.