National Poetry Writing Month, Day 27: Rewind

What would you do if you were taken back to the past for a day?
Right from the beginning , from the very first page,
You’re taken back to the places that you never wanted to go,
The smells are familiar and so are the faces but the only thing that keeps changing is you,
Now tell me what would you do if you are transported to the streets you grew up in, those very same morning church bells and the rose garden your mother loved, those very same faces passing by, the very same shock when you realized that blood does not always unite people,
What would you do if you are running away from it all but it still hunts you down,
The very same noises , the very same chaos but all over and you can still feel the goosebumps , the tears haven’t dried yet, but it keeps going on.
Tell me What would you do if you experienced every single goodbye said to you all over again, those very same roads, very same funerals and the very same regrets of not asking them to stay
The very same people but they still go.
Tell me What would you do if you still feel the pangs of pain from the past ?
The very same pain , the very same screams, the very same innocence that died as young dreams
the very same anger, the very same frustration but it does not stop.
Tell me what would you do if everything that you lost came back to you for a day only to be lost again,
The very same helplessness and the very same effort but all in vain.
Tell me what would you do if everything you want to forget is right in front of your eyes ?
Would you look ? Would you run ? Would you stand still and take it all in ? Would you dare to live it for a day?
Now let me tell you, all it takes is;
One word,
One glimpse,
One single memory,
To make me live it all over again,
Everyday.
Now tell me;
What should I do ?

Written by Neemah Kalmata