All Nonfiction
- Bullying
- Books
- Academic
- Author Interviews
- Celebrity interviews
- College Articles
- College Essays
- Educator of the Year
- Heroes
- Interviews
- Memoir
- Personal Experience
- Sports
- Travel & Culture
All Opinions
- Bullying
- Current Events / Politics
- Discrimination
- Drugs / Alcohol / Smoking
- Entertainment / Celebrities
- Environment
- Love / Relationships
- Movies / Music / TV
- Pop Culture / Trends
- School / College
- Social Issues / Civics
- Spirituality / Religion
- Sports / Hobbies
All Hot Topics
- Bullying
- Community Service
- Environment
- Health
- Letters to the Editor
- Pride & Prejudice
- What Matters
- Back
Summer Guide
- Program Links
- Program Reviews
- Back
College Guide
- College Links
- College Reviews
- College Essays
- College Articles
- Back
i don't know why i remember
i don't know why i remember
the voice of the boy
i don't know why i remember
the way the woods felt on bare legs
as rain poured down around us
i don't know why i remember
watching when he nearly fell
into the rushing creek below
laughing as he held on for dear life
my first fall
my first friend
my first brother
we used to run wild
in the hidden forests of washington
far away from life and responsibility
the city held my life
the trees my heart
i don't know why i remember
her face
i don't know why i remember
the way her long red hair
fell across her shoulders when she laughed
i don't know why i remember
the delicate
glass jar
between her fingers
my first party
my first crime
my first smile
we used to hide behind concrete buildings
creating worlds
with nothing but our minds
the acorns still fall from the trees
without us
i don't know why i remember
that pair of shining blue eyes
i don't know why i remember
the green bike inside the silver shed
as sweet cinnamon and sugar drifted through the air
i don't know why i remember
running away together
weaving between wooden trunks
out of time
my first love
my first break
my first dare
we used to carry on our plans
in a story of our own making
concealed by dark hearts
the trees never changed
from who we made them
i don't know why i remember
the empty field decorated with bright flags
i don't know why i remember
the cheers
as she ran toward the forest
i don't know why i remember
her love
never mine
but always there
my first thought
my first change
my first beautiful
we used to laugh
as i cried along to the music
small and insignificant as always
the trees are gone now
and the lights reign free
i don't know why i remember
those black headphones
i don't know why i remember
the jacket he clung to
so desperately
i don't know why i remember
the welcome smiles
and silent screams
life lost and won
my first question
my first reality
my first confidant
we used to stand together
his open heart and my broken tears
pushing us away
the trees held me
closer than i can bear
i don't know why i remember them
i don't know why i can't forget them
but the lives i've left
grow on without us
buried in the woods of our pasts
Similar Articles
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
This article has 0 comments.
I wrote this poem amidst a panic attack as a way to gather myself. I struggle deeply with loss and the fear of being forgotten, the subjects of a lot of my writing. My parents' work requires that I move quite often, so I find and subsequently lose a lot of friends. This poem is simply a collection of memories of people I have really cared about and been separated from. It serves as a way for me to remember them the way they were, but written in incomplete phrases like scattered thoughts. I want those who read it to understand the loss, but also to see through my eyes how wonderful the memories are. Even when we lose people, we still remember how we felt with them, even if we don't know why.