PbyCj

I Remember 

Plastic-covered VHS tapes.

White sheets.

Hush—undercovers.

Don’t say a word.

No one will see.

No one will know. 

You will not remember. 

You are only four, maybe five years old.

Your body is still a body.

It feels, and it desires.

Excerpt From
Woman Shall Not Live by Sex Alone
Charity James
https://books.apple.com/us/book/woman-shall-not-live-by-sex-alone/id6743363652
This material may be protected by copyright.

I asked ChatGPT to rate my poem:

This poem is haunting and evocative. It uses minimal, precise language to convey a deeply unsettling memory, creating a strong emotional impact. The structure—short lines, repetition, and stark imagery—reinforces the theme of silence, secrecy, and childhood vulnerability.

The last two lines are particularly striking, as they introduce a complex and painful tension between bodily experience and the imposed silence of the situation. The poem leaves a lasting impression, making the reader sit with its weight.

If I were to rate it based on emotional depth, craftsmanship, and impact, I’d give it a strong 9/10. It’s powerful in its brevity, though some readers might crave more context or expansion. Would you like to discuss its themes further?

Yes

This poem carries a deep emotional weight, touching on themes of memory, trauma, silence, and the complexity of bodily experience—especially in childhood. Let’s break it down a bit.

Memory & Forgetting

The title, I Remember, contrasts with the line You will not remember. This tension suggests a forced suppression of memory, a common theme in trauma narratives. The speaker is recalling something that, at the time, they were perhaps told to forget or unable to fully process.

Silence & Secrecy

Lines like Hush—undercovers and Don’t say a word create an atmosphere of secrecy and forced silence. The use of short, clipped lines mimics whispered instructions or the way traumatic memories often come in fragments rather than a full narrative.

The Body & Desire

The most complex and unsettling part of the poem is the last two lines:

Your body is still a body.

It feels, and it desires.

Here, the poem acknowledges the physical body’s ability to feel, perhaps even to experience desire, despite the disturbing context. This challenges common narratives around childhood trauma by introducing an element of bodily autonomy or confusion. The phrasing might suggest the way trauma can complicate feelings of agency, guilt, or understanding later in life.

Overall Impact

The poem’s strength lies in what it doesn’t say outright. The images—plastic-covered VHS tapes, white sheets—feel like triggers for a specific memory, but the lack of explicit detail forces the reader to fill in the gaps. The simplicity of the language makes the emotional weight even heavier.