Performed by Val Cole

POEM:

When my final day comes,
And it’s my turn to go,
When to the pain you’ll succumb,
Remember that I’ve loved you so.
Don’t fret, my dear,
For I have lived a happy life,
It’s all alright, my love,
It’s all alright.
Don’t bury me into the ground,
As I don’t want to rot,
Cremate me, spread my ashes,
As I want to be high up,
Not six feet beneath the ground.
Look for me in the clouds,
And in the bright skies,
I’ll be there when you need me –
Just look for me, my dear,
Always in your heart.
Don’t lose yourself in the what ifs,
Or in guilt or in regret,
Don’t waste yourself away,
In what you could have done
In a different way.
There’s nothing to forgive, my love,
But if you need to hear those words,
I forgive you, my dear,
For I loved you so.
I beg for your forgiveness,
For what I have done wrong,
I hope we can part ways
With peace in our souls.
One thing I ask, my dear,
For after I’m gone,
Keep me in your heart,
Remember me as I once was.
Share them with the world –
The stories of my life,
For this is the only way
The memories of me can keep going on.
When my final day comes,
And it’s my time to go,
Just remember, my dear,
That I loved you so.

Get to know the poet:

1) What is the theme of your poem?
The poem is a message for my nieces and all those who will be left behind after I'm gone.

2) What motivated you to write this poem?
After the death of my parents I struggled a lot with different questions, many conflicting feelings, including guilt for what I might have done wrong, regret for not having done more, the what ifs questions (what If I did this or that maybe they'd be alive). I think it's common and natural feelings we have to go through in our losses. The poem is an intent to alleviate the pain , or to say the unsaid things if there will be no chance to say them. We never know how and when we die, we do not always get the chance to say goodbye, death rarely is like it's depicted in the movies: with everyone gathered on our deathbed and everyone getting closure and moving on easily with their lives. I see this poem as an attempt to provide closure, or rather, to say goodbye to those I love, to those who'll remain to deal with the aftermath of my death.

3) How long have you been writing poetry?
I started writing poetry recently, since August 2024. It was more than a year after my mom (and second parent) died, and the words just came pouring in.

4) If you could have dinner with one person (dead or alive), who would
that be?
My parents

5) What influenced you to submit to have your poetry performed by a
professional actor?
I was curious on how my poem wil sound, what feelings it will wake up in me. Maybe it was also an attempt to leave something behind, a trace of my name, my work, of my pain and loss. I felt I needed the world to know.

6) Do you write other works? scripts? Short Stories? Etc..?
I recently started writing non-fiction essays/stories, focused on the stories of my parents' death. I am playing with the idea of writing fiction, but I'm not there yet.

7) What is your passion in life?
I love aerial gymnastics or dancing: the aerial hoop, silks, aerial straps, hammock and pole. I love creating beautiful choreographies which express the way I feel. Like poetry, I found dancing a powerful outlet for sharing my inner world, my feelings and thoughts.