Life?
By Lovanna Belle Áme, 19, Colorado
What is life?
Just one more breath?
The process of being, before you are dead?
The presence of pain,
So you know that it’s real?
Or the dull empty depth,
When you no longer feel?
Is it the coldness of night?
Is it dark before light?
Is it tears that you cry,
then pretend you’re alright?
Are you trapped in a darkness,
Too thick to escape?
Have you forgotten what joy means;
What’s day?
I believe life is for us,
There for the taking,
In the simple beauty,
In every day…waiting.
It’s more then existing,
Just having a job,
Then wishing for change, but not bringing it on.
It’s there for you,
When you’re lost and alone.
When icy hands curl around your soul,
When darkness is all you have to hold,
When ending it early seems the best way to go.
It might not seem fair that the birds still sing,
But that’s life telling you there’s more you can bring.
There’s hope. Look around you, it calls you by name,
It wants you to know that you’re loved and you’re needed.
Your life has a purpose,
You’re here for a reason.
So don’t say it’s too late,
That you can’t be forgiven.
That your life’s a blight,
The world’s better off ridden.
You matter.
Don’t forget that.
The things you do, too.
You have so much to offer,
Don’t throw it away.
It’s needed, profoundly, every second of every day.
The world can be a very lonely place. A confusing place. It’s easy to forget to live. To get sucked in the endless monotony of daily tasks (school, work, parenting etc.) and start to wonder “what is the point? Does my life matter?” I want this poem to be a reminder to people that your life matters. And that ultimately you decide how your life matters. Life is truly what you make of it. Don’t throw life away. Especially not your own.
