"Remember Me" || Poem by Margaret Mead

Remember Me

To the living, I am gone.
To the sorrowful, I will never return. 
To the angry, I was cheated. 
But to the happy, I am at peace.
And to the faithful, I have never left.

I cannot speak, but I can listen. 
I cannot be seen, but I can be heard. 
So as you stand upon a shore
gazing at a beautiful sea - Remember me.

As you look in awe at a mighty forest
and its grand majesty - Remember me.

As you look upon a flower and
admire its simplicity- Remember me.

Remember me in your heart: 

Your thoughts, and your memories,
of the times we loved, 
The times we cried,
The times we fought,
The times we laughed. 

For if you always think of me, I will never be gone.

Margaret Mead, (1901- 1978) was an American cultural anthropologist, author and speaker, who appeared frequently in the mass media during the 1960s and the 1970s. She was born in  Philadelphia but raised in nearby Doylestown. She earned her bachelor's degree at Barnard College and her MA and PhD degrees from Columbia University. She taught at a number of colleges and universities, including Vassar College and  New York University. In 1970 she was awarded the UNESCO Kalinga Prize for exceptional skill in presenting scientific ideas to lay people. In 1979, she was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Note: Although this poem is commonly attributed to Margaret Mead, There is no concrete evidence she authored it, and it's more likely, a poem with unknown origins that has been mistakenly associated with her name over time. In any case it is a beautiful poem which we are publishing on November 15, the anniversary of her passing away.