A member of my
community, Jane Storey, took her life on January 25, 2012.
I think of her as I send this out to all of you....
It is now forbiddenI think of her as I send this out to all of you....
to cry without learning;
to wake up one day
and no longer have dreams;
to become afraid
of your own memories…
It is now forbidden
to not smile
in the face of adversity;
to stop fighting
for those who you love;
to abandon it all
because of your fears;
or to give up in making
your own dreams come true.
It is now forbidden
to pretend we don’t need
understanding each other;
to place less value
in the lives of others;
to ignore each of us
has a unique path to joy…
It is now forbiddenunderstanding each other;
to place less value
in the lives of others;
to ignore each of us
has a unique path to joy…
to give up on happiness,
to abandon optimism,
to quit improving ourselves;
to believe the world
will be a better place without you.
~ Alfredo Barreras
(This poem was shared with me by Katie Guitton, who brought it back to us from her travels in Chile.)