I wrote this poem to commemorate a girl who died on a car crash.
Dedicated to all to you who have lost somebody.
Forget-me-not
Two weeks to seventeen
In her evening gown, the girl dresses
the girl looks at her stunning self
No, not in the mirror
the girl sees herself in the coffin
Lifeless.
The girl beholds her mother weeps
and blank stares come from her father
but
what else can be done?
Out of her body, yes she is
To contact the living,
No,
she can’t
The girl sees her lover comes
with seventeen red roses, pretty, she thinks
kisses her forehead, as he used to do
“I love you forever,” the boy whispers
and inside the coffin the roses be
The pastor comes and done is done
The only child, yes, the girl is
and through the cries, weeps, tears and moans
The girl murmurs, “forget-me-not”
Then Death comes and asks her hand
“No,” she says, “I’m not done yet”
Death nods but says no words
“forget-me-not, I want them to do”
and Death is gone,
is found no more
Two weeks to seventeen the girl still is
Now to the graveyard, her lover goes
seventeen yellow roses, sweet, thinks the girl
“It’s your seventeenth birthday, so happy birthday”
He kisses the tombstone, and a tear falls down
“forget-me-not”
the girl wants to say
It’s spring, then summer, autumn and winter
Yet two weeks to seventeen, is all the girl can be
First year of remembrance, now it is
and at her grave, there they stand
her loving parents with their newborn baby
“forget-me-not”
the girl wishes
Three years past, oh how time runs
but two weeks to seventeen the girl will still be
The little angel grows up – oh lovely, she is
lullabies and goodnight kisses now hum in the air
no more seeing photo albums and videos,
No,
they were all gone
“forget-me-not”
the girl cries
The boy is broken, crushed,
then moves on
chats with other girls, opens heart once more
the picture of the girl in his wallet, now it’s gone
It’s been five years, but what’s the point?
“I love you forever,” the boy has said
but forever is over, the girl replies
Two weeks to seventeen, the girl cries
she watches her 12-year-old sister, ah, teenagers
To the graveyard, her family goes
“You have a big sister,” her parents say
but the sister says, no, no sister of hers
“forget-me-not…”
the girl weeps
The man wears his white tuxedo, handsome as ever
tying the knot, making promises
“Objection!”
the girl cries out
but as he kisses his bride and takes her hand
the girl stares blankly – he used to kiss me
“forget-me-not”
forgotten all the way
Back to her graveyard, the girl goes
“forget-me-not, please don’t forget me”
“forget-me-not, please, remember me”
“forget-me-not, please, forget-me-not…”
In her remembrance, the girl’s still there
and two weeks to seventeen, the girl still is
A man comes, seventeen red roses in hand
“It’s your birthday, so happy birthday”
and with that he kisses the tombstone, lovely as ever
“forget-me-not”
he does not forget
A couple comes and cleans her grave
and with their 16-year-old daughter, there they stand
“We love you forever, forever isn’t over”
as her family cries but forces a smile
“forget-me-not”
they do not forget
Now Death comes and asks her hand
The girl smiles and her hand she gives
“No more forget-me-nots, I am letting go
For they remember me, but life must goes on”
Two weeks to seventeen, ah, the girl still is
In companion of Death, she now will be
Marcella Purnama
12 March 2010
Photo by Lauren Rushing
