This is a revision of a poem that I got feedback on lately. So, it’s a new poem. Who knows what it is that people end up remembering most about us.

Suicide Note

To whom it may concern,
my readers and friends,

As you may have
noticed,
reading my poems
and other writings,
I've revealed
a great deal
about myself
and I would have hoped
that I'd be better understood,
better known
by those closest to me
and others I've met
over the years,
or those who've known me
through my writing.

I don't feel
that I've achieved
even that.

So don't be surprised,
as if you did not see this
coming -
this, my final act.

In this, my poem,
and my other poems,
I hope to take my own
unique place
among those with whom
I share a kinship -
poets like Sylvia Plath
and Anne Sexton
who wrote in poetic form,
her “Wanting to Die.”

Even within my
family, there are
those that came
before me.

My auntie Rosie
who ended her life
quickly with a shotgun
and my cousin
who hanged herself.

So, it's really just an issue
of method...
which is part of our creative
expression.

Perhaps,
in this final act,
I'll find that I have
accomplished
something for which
I'll be remembered.

Bruce Whealton
Revised poem on December 24th.

Share on Facebook

Related posts

• No related posts.

Comments are closed.