I Never Believed in Death

 

I never believed in death, for I never saw it.

I saw only that this became that.
The petals fell away, and the thing became a stem,
and the floor became scattered in pink.

Containers break. Eras end.
Thing-ness only a stopping ground,
a pause at the train station, followed by moving on.

You were never yourself, and I was never I.
Everything cresting and falling,
giving way, again, to the ocean.

We need more words like arise and fewer like die.

When you know you are a just a disco party
of cells that came together for a time,
you’ll live like the blazing sphere you are,
and dance with the spheres around you.

You won’t ask of them, or tax them, or want them to be anything.

You’ll be boogieing in the sun, and look
over your shoulder, breathless, to say

Quick! It’s only for a moment that we are this.
Let’s feel the sting when we land from a raucous jump.
Let’s watch our knees glisten.
Let’s wait here, as night covers our skin.
Let’s watch our hands darken.

Let’s cry, at the realness of it, and the dreamness of it.
Let’s marvel at it.

– Tara Mohr

 

photo credit: Christopher Campbell

Join the discussion 6 Comments

  • Beautiful, reminding us to live in the moment.

  • Marci Hannewald says:

    Love this – such a gorgeous shift in perspective away from the fear of the finite and toward the freedom of endless possibility. Thank you for sharing.

  • Kim says:

    Oh my, and the sun came out as I was reading this. Time to boogey.

  • Susan says:

    Yes! Presence. This is beautiful, thank you.

  • jan says:

    I hope it was ok to share this on my blog? I added a link to your website. I am also going to print this poem out and read it each morning. Funny. I lost my Mum as a child and for a time I think I did really live, I find it difficult to understand why suddenly I became fearful. It’s something I am working on and this poem helps me so much. Happy belated birthday by the way!

  • Lindsey says:

    Let’s marvel at it. Yes. Let’s. Thank you so much for sharing this. xox

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