Daily Poem: Remember I Love You ~ Anastasia Haysler
I wrote the first draft of this in August 2017. We were in Helsinki for a conference the first time that P45 started a public argument with Kim Jong Un. Unable to sleep, I found myself wondering what we would do if the unthinkable happened, and there was no US to fly back to at the end of the week. Having grown up in the 1970s and been through my share of “extreme event” drills, the old terrors resurfaced. I worked through them (as much as one can), but this past weekend, with the false alarm in Hawaii, brought it all right back, again. So I have polished this up, and present it in hopes it speaks to you.
Remember I Love You
~ Anastasia Haysler
If the missiles com
You’ll have 18 minutes.
Everyone will call someone.
I don’t expect we’ll be able to get through.
Remember I love you.
Remember our first date,
Laughing easily over plates of pasta.
“Thank you for such a fun evening.”
Remember I love you.
Remember our first trip to London,
Standing in front of the Rosetta Stone.
“I’ll love you even longer than this is old.”
Remember I love you.
Remember our first flat
Overlooking the park.
“This is a view of heaven.”
Remember I love you.
Remember walking hand in hand
Along sidewalks, by rivers, through museums.
“This is the perfect way to spend the day.”
Remember I love you.
Remember the books we read each other,
The music we played each other.
“That was wonderful, and new to me.”
Remember I love you.
Remember the hardware store,
The grocery store, the laundry, the dishes.
“This, too, is love.”
Remember I love you.
I hope you have a chance for
One last ice cream cone,
One last chorus of birdsong,
A field of flowers, or a forest to lie in.
One last moment of bliss.
As the final burst of light
Explodes across the sky,
And we are no more,
I hope you hear my voice.
“Remember I love you.”
Remember I love you.
Remember.
