“it pains the ancestors when we forget”
and they’ve been in enough pain before.
~~~~~~~~~~~
I think a lot about how
what you miss most from someone
or something
that is no longer with us
are the physical sensations.
I miss the sensation of hugging you.
They were full, thick, loving hugs
that encompassed everything you wanted to
or could not
say.
I miss the sensation of greeting you.
I still remember the sensation it would leave
and I fear for the day when I no longer remember.
I also miss the morale you would bring to a room.
This I will never forget, because a feeling takes a little longer to fade.
But, I miss it nonetheless and I wish for it every day to no avail.
a shame, really.
but these things are out of my control.
They are not for me to have the power to change.
And as hard as it is to accept,
as hard as it is to not have you in my life
I don’t want to change it.
It feels wrong.
The most I can do is
remember, imagine, and recount
to revive people and things that have left us
and keep alive the energy they bring.
*quote "it pains the ancestors when we forget" from Lonnie Bunch, founder of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC