Distant Memory
I bid you adieu
Reflection & Context
This piece continues the conversation between grief and forgiveness, this time from the place of distance — not as punishment, but as the only form of peace two wounded people could manage. It is written from a mother who has learned that sometimes forgiveness does not look like reunion, conversation, or shared memory, but like releasing someone into their own process and choosing not to carry the weight of what they cannot face.
It explores how absence can feel like erasure, how a child’s memory can live vividly in one heart while remaining too painful for another to touch. The poem names the quiet ache of wondering whether a father remembers birthdays, anniversaries, and final moments — and the deeper realization that capacity, not cruelty, is often what limits people.
At its core, this work is about mature forgiveness: the kind that does not demand closeness, explanation, or validation. It is about choosing healing through conscious decisions, allowing grief to soften into gratitude, and trusting that God can tend to both hearts separately, even when paths no longer cross.
Reflection Prompt
Have you ever had to forgive someone without reconciliation?
What would it look like to release the need for shared memory and allow healing to happen on separate paths?
Original Performance
This piece was originally performed as part of the Lips & Poetry series, where spoken word meets lived experience. Watch the original recording below to hear the rhythm, breath, and emotion that first carried these words.