The popular Youtube channel Button Poetry showcases a poem written by Nora Cooper entitled I Won’t Write You Obituary. The powerful poem discusses the topic of suicide and the impact it has. The poem highlights the viewpoint of a friend who is supporting someone with thoughts of suicide. It is heavy and brings up a lot of emotion, but important as it tackles to topic of suicide and shines light on an important subject from the viewpoint of a carer. The poem reads:

“You asked if you could call to say goodbye if you were ever really going to kill yourself,

Sure, but I won’t write your obituary,

I’ll commission it from some dead end journalist who will say things like “at peace”, “better place”, “fought the good fight”, maybe reference the loving embrace of Capital G God at least four times,

maybe quote Charles Bukowski, and I won’t stop them because I won’t write your obituary, but if you call me,

I will write you a new sky, one you can taste,

I will write you a DIY cloud maker so on days when you can’t do anything. You can still make clouds in whatever,

shape you want them. I will write you letters,

messages in bottles and cages in orange peels in the distance between here and the moon and,

forests and rivers and bird songs. I will write you songs. I can’t write music,

but I’ll find Rihanna and I’ll get her to write you music,

if it’ll make you want to dance a little longer,

I will write you a body whose veins are electricity because outlets are easier to find than good shrinks,

but we will find you a good shrink. I will write you 1800-273-8255,

that’s the suicide hotline, we can call it together, and yeah, you can call me,

but I won’t tell you it’s okay, that I forgive you,

I won’t say goodbye”

If you or someone you know is in crisis.

If you’re in immediate danger or need urgent medical support, call 9-1-1.

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call or text 9-8-8. Support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you’re experiencing family or gender-based violence, you can access a crisis line in your province or territory.

Watch the video of the poem here. 

Image Credits:
Feature Image: Emiliano Vittoriosi, On Unsplash. Creative Commons.