To Remember Me - I Will Live ForeverRobert Noel Test, American Poet (1926-1994)
The day will come when my body will be upon a white sheet
neatly tucked under four corners of a mattress located in a hospital;
busily occupied with the living and the dying.
At a certain point a doctor will determine that my brain
has ceased to function and that,
for all intents and purposes, my life has stopped.
When that happens, do not attempt to instill artificial life into my body
by the use of a machine. And don't call this my deathbed.
Let it be called the bed of life, and let my body be taken
from it to help others lead fuller lives.
Give my sight to the man who has never seen a sunrise,
a baby's face or love in the eyes of a woman.
Give my heart to a person whose own heart
has caused nothing but endless days of pain.
Give my blood to the teenager who was pulled from the wreckage of his car,
so that he might live to see his grandchildren play.
Give my kidneys to the one who depends
on a machine to exist from week to week
Take my bones, every muscle, every fiber and nerve in my body
and find a way to make a crippled child walk.
Take my cells, if necessary, and let them grow so that,
someday a speechless boy will shout at the crack of a bat
and a deaf girl will hear the sound of rain against her window.
If you must bury something, let it be my faults,
my weakness, and all prejudice against my fellow man.
Give my sins to the devil.
Give my soul to God.
***
The day will come when my body will be upon a white sheet
neatly tucked under four corners of a mattress located in a hospital;
busily occupied with the living and the dying.
At a certain point a doctor will determine that my brain
has ceased to function and that,
for all intents and purposes, my life has stopped.
by the use of a machine. And don't call this my deathbed.
Let it be called the bed of life, and let my body be taken
from it to help others lead fuller lives.
Give my sight to the man who has never seen a sunrise,
a baby's face or love in the eyes of a woman.
Give my heart to a person whose own heart
has caused nothing but endless days of pain.
Give my blood to the teenager who was pulled from the wreckage of his car,
so that he might live to see his grandchildren play.
Give my kidneys to the one who depends
on a machine to exist from week to week
Take my bones, every muscle, every fiber and nerve in my body
and find a way to make a crippled child walk.
Take my cells, if necessary, and let them grow so that,
someday a speechless boy will shout at the crack of a bat
and a deaf girl will hear the sound of rain against her window.
If you must bury something, let it be my faults,
my weakness, and all prejudice against my fellow man.
Give my sins to the devil.
Give my soul to God.
If by chance, you wish to remember me,
do it with a kind deed or word to someone who needs you.
If you do all I have asked, I will live forever.
do it with a kind deed or word to someone who needs you.
If you do all I have asked, I will live forever.
I first read this poem posted at Tarcs Room in our office. A beautiful poem. The message struck me and it moves me to search on the internet more about this poem and it's author. They say this is an Organ Donor poem coz it inspires organ donors worldwide.
About the Author
Robert N. Test was one of the pioneers in promoting organ and tissue donations. In 1976, he wrote an essay titled "To Remember Me." It was first published in The Cincinnati Post and later in Ann Landers' column, as well as in Reader's Digest.
About the Author
Robert N. Test was one of the pioneers in promoting organ and tissue donations. In 1976, he wrote an essay titled "To Remember Me." It was first published in The Cincinnati Post and later in Ann Landers' column, as well as in Reader's Digest.
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