Forget Him Not

I remember, remember the 5th of November

as amongst the sparkle of fireworks

a true star was born.

He brought me porridge, sandbags,

cheese on toast and lullabies

all at just the right time

and taught me why they coined

the term ‘a gentle-man’.

Yet even the brightest of stars must fade –

called for by the hungry ground below;

turned on by a parasitic mind;

taken by the stench of white corridors

where he didn’t belong.

We clung to shadows and empty shells

until the sweet release

of a dreaded phone call,

final farewells and black car processions.

But when a heart burns so bright

it leaves behind a legacy

that lives beyond the salty tang of tears

and the bitter glow from ashes:

I feel it in my veins

as I search for it in dreams

so that I may keep it safe,

eternal in its radiance.