"To Die is to Live, to Live is to Die" (poem)
By Luke Labern
To be alive is to strive in multiple directions --
Seek the strength, not just to fight, but to survive.
Overcome emotions, see past your flaws,
Walk through countless storms, endure the sores --
Are you defined by strength, or endurance? To be alive,
That's to suffer, that's to learn. So many infections,
Who's going to get swatted next? Don't think
For one second, that this world is fair,
Sit comfy when you can: an inch
Can make all the difference: death's invisible pinch
Will take your pets, your house, your share
Of everything you love: try to swim; to sink
Is to let everything you hate win.
You and I, of course, we will sin...
But we are made of beating hearts, not lifeless tin.
Which breath will be your last?
I wish I could truly savour
Every kiss, and smile...
But I won't live in denial:
Life is a spectrum, it's all about the flavour
Of tragedy; seconds pass incredibly fast --
At once your struggle is your success...
Next, you're missing what you fought for:
A house without foundations,
A world without nations...
Imagine life without war!
You think there'd be no mess?
I try to be strong, to be alive
An endless sea of opposites, so I dive
Deeper: to seek the truth, I strive.
Enough of what you know: we all need heroes,
To survive cancer, to stand where others fall --
Every one of us has shed tears,
But pride awaits those who meet their fears,
These are the brave, the people I would like to call
My inspiration. Though who's to say which zeroes
Will rise to important circumstance, above their station?
I want you, you and I, to show 'them'
We can overcome heartbreak, pass right through,
As we seek to improve, to love what we do.
The acts, from which our strength will stem;
A stiff upper lip? We need some foundation,
I know this for sure,
The inner reserves that belong to the poor
Is what we all contain at our core.
What of the times when you can't endure
The inequality, the threat, the indignation?
Time to pour out that anger fully --
Name me one man who's not used that pully
To get his way, to enforce the resignation
Of the enemy, whose will turned out to be impure?
These victories I take strength from.
It's the only way that I c an cope --
Blood seems to boil and it's time to protect
Not just yourself: once again, evil tries to infect
Everything you hold dear: rely on your hope,
Fixate on the end, like a soldier in the Somme:
Because if it isn't you who tries,
It's some other motherfucker who buys
What you have earnt, before he dies.
Fighting may not seem possible, you may feel too weak:
Please trust me, only through pain will you find the you you seek.
Seek the strength, not just to fight, but to survive.
Overcome emotions, see past your flaws,
Walk through countless storms, endure the sores --
Are you defined by strength, or endurance? To be alive,
That's to suffer, that's to learn. So many infections,
Who's going to get swatted next? Don't think
For one second, that this world is fair,
Sit comfy when you can: an inch
Can make all the difference: death's invisible pinch
Will take your pets, your house, your share
Of everything you love: try to swim; to sink
Is to let everything you hate win.
You and I, of course, we will sin...
But we are made of beating hearts, not lifeless tin.
Which breath will be your last?
I wish I could truly savour
Every kiss, and smile...
But I won't live in denial:
Life is a spectrum, it's all about the flavour
Of tragedy; seconds pass incredibly fast --
At once your struggle is your success...
Next, you're missing what you fought for:
A house without foundations,
A world without nations...
Imagine life without war!
You think there'd be no mess?
I try to be strong, to be alive
An endless sea of opposites, so I dive
Deeper: to seek the truth, I strive.
Enough of what you know: we all need heroes,
To survive cancer, to stand where others fall --
Every one of us has shed tears,
But pride awaits those who meet their fears,
These are the brave, the people I would like to call
My inspiration. Though who's to say which zeroes
Will rise to important circumstance, above their station?
I want you, you and I, to show 'them'
We can overcome heartbreak, pass right through,
As we seek to improve, to love what we do.
The acts, from which our strength will stem;
A stiff upper lip? We need some foundation,
I know this for sure,
The inner reserves that belong to the poor
Is what we all contain at our core.
What of the times when you can't endure
The inequality, the threat, the indignation?
Time to pour out that anger fully --
Name me one man who's not used that pully
To get his way, to enforce the resignation
Of the enemy, whose will turned out to be impure?
These victories I take strength from.
It's the only way that I c an cope --
Blood seems to boil and it's time to protect
Not just yourself: once again, evil tries to infect
Everything you hold dear: rely on your hope,
Fixate on the end, like a soldier in the Somme:
Because if it isn't you who tries,
It's some other motherfucker who buys
What you have earnt, before he dies.
Fighting may not seem possible, you may feel too weak:
Please trust me, only through pain will you find the you you seek.
A Poem,
Published 29 January 2012
Published 29 January 2012