The Privilege of Forgetfulness and The Right to Remembrance
by Fiona Jones
Grasp tight; the pleasantries afforded to you,
for you must needs not parse my titular purity.
You’ve denied me my eternal solace,
rebuked my lucent heart
and assimilated into privilege.
Cling to the mercy of forgetfulness,
the choice not to repent,
for to face the truth is to admit defeat,
and cease to be as you aren’t.
You must not be alone,
for you are a righteous man.
Within the scope of your gaze
I’ve dressed myself in companions.
When your eyes meet,
your vision,
clouded by hues of green,
will transcend the need for lenses.
You’ll see only what is before you,
nothing over, nothing under.
My clothing will know your lies,
and you will undress me once again.
My sole right, the remembrance of you,
shall not be renounced,
for your virtue remains irrecusable
to all
but the one
whose revocation
will mark the end of your plight.
I am forever denied the mercy,
the privilege
that is
forgetfulness.
I bear only the right,
the punishment,
to be the sole historian of your transgressions.
You will stay here,
firmly standing,
disregarding,
forever reminding me;
no matter how far I get
how long the distance between us,
my life
is over.
Fiona Jones is a senior at Francis Parker School of Louisville, has attended Ironwood since the first year, and plans to return next year.