Don’t forget, remember

I don’t remember, Your Honor
That’s what they said
I don’t remember, ma’am
How can you not?

It’s not easy to forget
And never hard to remember
February 7, two years have passed
You barged into our room, the memory still fresh

“What is that?” the fat one asked
Right after, he let out a laugh
The theatrical play seems funny
But you deny it from everybody.

You may seem to forget
But we will always remember –
The people’s cry, their struggles – our cause
We will always carry the truth.

*Frenchie Mae Cumpio is a 23-year-old journalist based in Eastern Visayas. She has been detained in Tacloban City Jail since February 7, 2020 over fabricated charges. Through relatives, Frenchie Mae sent us this poem on her second year in detention.