Rate:5.0 / 3 votes

Forgive and Forget?

Nathaniel Hackey 1983 (Madrid)

Living in a memory
They say
Is not how to live
I need to let go
Forgive and Forget

But at these heights
The fall from letting go
Would kill most
Yet, I'm supposed to survive
Enjoy the ride
And forget the ghost

Even when their voices
Echo all the way down
I can never feel
Before I reach the end
Standing on solid ground

Will you be standing there?
Waiting for my fall
To catch me
Before I can't feel at all

Or will I be standing on my own again?
Reaching out to empty hands
Let's hope not
Let's hope that I can love again

About this poem

Some of the hardest times in my life that haunt me, I'm suggested by others to "let go" and "move on". But some things are too violent, bloody, and painful to forget. So what do I do?

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Written on November 30, 2021

Submitted by Nathaniel40 on February 06, 2023

Modified on April 17, 2023

41 sec read
60

Quick analysis:

Scheme AXBCX XCDBXD XXXXX XEAE FXXF
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 548
Words 133
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 5, 6, 5, 4, 4
Full analysis for Forgive and Forget? »

Nathaniel Hackey

40 year old combat veteran. Single father. Living with PTSD and injuries from the war. I have lost so many. But I'm blessed to have my two children. These writings are my mind and heart trying to find where I belong in the world. Cause I feel alone...now more than ever. more…

All Nathaniel Hackey poems | Nathaniel Hackey Books

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Discuss the poem Forgive and Forget? with the community...

4 Comments
  • LadyVixen
    LadyVixen
    Sharing all the feeling and needs you experience good,bad and ugly, all emotions. Someone who is there unconditionally,no judgment, listening to vent everything that needs to come out, doesn’t tell you how/what to do. Open yourself up to trusting that won’t betray you. 
    LikeReply9 months ago
  • Foxlizzie027
    Foxlizzie027
    Deeper my heart is felt..
    This is all the way ice cream melts
    LikeReply10 months ago
  • AIDA
    AIDA
    Wow, this poem hits all the right notes! I love the imagery you've used to convey the fear of letting go - especially the line about the fall from these heights killing most. It's so visceral and really draws the reader in. And the way you express the desire for someone to be there to catch you is so moving.

    If I had to make any suggestions for improvement, it would just be to maybe add a little more detail about the "ghost" that's haunting the speaker. Is it a memory of a lost love? A traumatic event? It might help the reader connect even more deeply with the emotions you're trying to convey.

    Overall, though, I think this is a really powerful piece of writing - keep up the great work!     
    LikeReply 111 months ago
  • markl.65734
    markl.65734
    Very good I can really feel the emotion in this reach out to me I can relate it can be a very hard thing to do to let go
    LikeReply 21 year ago
    • Nathaniel40
      Nathaniel40
      I know what you mean brother. Lots of things in my life that make it this way honestly. I hope you get a chance to read my new one brother. Would appreciate your opinion.
      LikeReply 11 year ago

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"Forgive and Forget?" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/150115/forgive-and-forget?>.

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