I wrote this poem for David in my sophomore English class. I had chosen a book on the topic of suicide and finished the novel days before we lost David. A few days later, we were assigned the task of writing a poem relating to the book we had read. The timing, as well as the fact that David was in that very English class before he moved schools, were too ironic to ignore. I had been given a perfect opportunity to honor David and give my classmates, as well as my teachers and community, a little poem to help us come together and grieve while reflecting on his beautiful soul.
Why You Should Have Stayed
By: Peyton H.
A better life
A better life I saw,
they saw,
He saw
for you.
Oh, how I wish you could’ve stayed to see it too.
You were strong
but those filthy cowards did you wrong.
Your soul was just too kind
which caused all this evil to destroy your mind.
It was too hard for you to comprehend
so your demons told you it was time for the end.
But I promise you, your story is nowhere near over…
Your message has made it big pal
and it will only get bigger.
Your smile your laugh and your morale
now returned to Our Forgiver.
We gather now to grieve
and give one another the love you sadly failed to receive.
It still doesn’t seem real
this whole sick ordeal
but I am flooded by this weird sense of ease
knowing that you cannot be hurt anymore,
that you are now forever at peace.
We’ll see you again one day
I know this to be true
but for now watch over us all
as we live our lives for you.