I wrote this poem ‘I Am, I Live’, back in April 2022. I actually can’t remember what the impetus for writing it, but the impulse was strong and it’s one of those poems that just kind of wrote itself. I don’t believe death is the end, and although I am not entirely sure what happens after death, I am sure our essence, consciousness or spirit lives on. Many spiritual teachers/teachings have given their bid on what exactly happens, but I don’t want to blindly believe any of them. It’s particularly poignant for me now as I recently lost a parent and have been trying to imagine what they are going through right now and being attentive to how their death is affecting me. Some say death is really a birth – a birth back into your real essence. I think that is true, but it doesn’t necessarily change the process of dealing with loss!
I Am, I Live
I live.
Whether you see,
whether you hear,
whether you feel,
I live.
I am.
Whether you think,
whether you know,
whether you believe,
I am.
Not just in old photos
or in archives retained.
I live in a present
that cannot be framed.
Not just in your thoughts,
your memories or dreams.
I live as my essence
in a dimension unseen.
I am,
out of time and space.
I live,
without any trace.
As you cannot imagine,
as you cannot perceive,
I am, I live -
whether you can sense it,
whether you believe.
© Saraphir Camille Legind
© Saraphir Camille Legind