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Forgetting Quote by Gwendolyn Brooks

“When You Have Forgotten Sunday: The Love Story -- And when you have forgotten the bright bedclothes on a Wednesday and a Saturday, And most especially when you have forgotten Sunday -- When you have forgotten Sunday halves in bed, Or me sitting on the front-room radiator in the limping afternoon…” quote by Gwendolyn Brooks
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““ When You Have Forgotten Sunday: The Love Story -- And when you have forgotten the bright bedclothes on a Wednesday and a Saturday, And most especially when you have forgotten Sunday -- When you have forgotten Sunday halves in bed, Or me sitting on the front-room radiator in the limping afternoon Looking off down the long street To nowhere, Hugged by my plain old wrapper of no-expectation And nothing-I-have-to-do and I’m-happy-why? And if-Monday-never-had-to-come— When you have forgotten that, I say, And how you swore, if somebody beeped the bell, And how my heart played hopscotch if the telephone rang; And how we finally went in to Sunday dinner, That is to say, went across the front room floor to the ink-spotted table in the southwest corner To Sunday dinner, which was always chicken and noodles Or chicken and rice And salad and rye bread and tea And chocolate chip cookies -- I say, when you have forgotten that, When you have forgotten my little presentiment That the war would be over before they got to you; And how we finally undressed and whipped out the light and flowed into bed, And lay loose-limbed for a moment in the week-end Bright bedclothes, Then gently folded into each other— When you have, I say, forgotten all that, Then you may tell, Then I may believe You have forgotten me well.””

Gwendolyn Brooks

About This Quote

Source Poem: “When You Have Forgotten Sunday”, 1965

Forgets daily comforts, yearning for simple, unconditional happiness beyond obligations.

In simple terms: Finding joy in simplicity.

Key Takeaway

Seek contentment in small moments.

Themes

simplicity joy freedom

Mood

contemplative hopeful

Type

poetic philosophical

When to use this quote

  • daily routine
  • family gatherings
  • personal reflection

Key Concepts

mindfulness existential longing

Questions to Reflect On

  • What simple pleasures do you overlook?
  • How can you create “Sunday” moments daily?
A Different Perspective

Idealizing past may ignore present challenges.

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