I Just Thought You Should Know by Aria (2020 Pongo Poetry Prize Honorable Mention)

I JUST THOUGHT YOU SHOULD KNOW

by Aria Jimenez
Submitted on Pongo’s website

I just thought you should know what I’m doing now.
I am your resilient daughter,
one of the 7 who you raised to be fearless,
who spends a lot of time caring for others
but forgetting oneself.

I just thought you should know how I’m feeling.
I am peaceful because I’m surrounded by people who love me.
I just thought you should know what I’ve been through.
Since your last breath, right after I said goodbye,
I have grown wiser as you promised I would.

Our Sunday night phone calls were significant to me
especially now, when you can no longer answer.

I just thought you should know what I wish for the future.
I hope that I become the warrior you once were.
There are battles fought on the ground
and others deliberated by the Spirit.
The battle rages on.

I just thought you should know
I am glad I don’t have to worry
about your health anymore
or if you would remember me.

I just thought you should know what I miss a lot.
I miss the way we used to talk on the phone
or sit in the most peaceful silence.
I just thought you should know that I learned
how to hold my peace,
fight with love, pray without ceasing,
and uphold grace from wherever I stand.
Thank you, Dad, for loving me
in a way to teach us all
how to love.

Artist Statement

“I was amazed by my writing, seeing it so long after I first reflected on the loss of my father to Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s. We lost him long before he was gone, sadly. He suffered so much, and we continued to say goodbye every time. I had forgotten how profound it was for me to write this poem when so much of many of my feelings before were sheltered beforehand. There is such power in our words, and the chance to transfer that power to a page makes writing a treasure for life—a gift that cannot be taken away. There’s a form of healing found in writing. I pray that the healing I have found from scripting words to life will impact every person who reads them.”