If I forget

They say I should change.
They tell me to let it go,
That it's all in the past.

The hell it is.
My memories are my own,
I need to keep them.

If there is one phrase,
I hate hearing from anyone,
It's "you should just move on".

How can one move on,
When the death of those closest,
Still stalk their mind?

How can one move on,
If they still seek their redemption,
For their sins in the past?

I understand,
I cant do anything,
Regarding the fact,

That death has the final say,
 on this damned earth,
("Mors ultima linea rerum est".)

But I can not just leave my memories,
I do not want to forget those I have lost,
Or to forget their honor.

If I forget,
Who will remember their honor?
Who will hold their hearts?

If I forget,
Who will keep their legacy?
("quis custodiet ipsos custodes")

If I was meant to forget,
Then why were their graves built?
Why are they still six feet under?

When you tell me to forget them,
You ask me to burry a part of my heart,
And to burn a part of my soul.

If you even only knew,
Instead of understood,
Then you would not ask me,

To get rid of my memories,
Which I hold so dear,
And who overwhelm me with nostalgia.