I Am Alive - poem by Jeff Shuck
I Am Alive


I am alive.
I may have lost my brother, my sister, my parent, my child, my spouse, my
friend ?
But I am a survivor of the long dark night
Of unspeakable loss,
The unbearable pain of my own darkness,
And ? I am alive.

I am unwilling to stand idly by
And allow shame to defeat love
Or silence to defeat action.
I stand for the enlightenment of a society
That would hide from suicide,
That would avoid, that would pretend ?
And I am alive.

I am unwilling for my perseverance
To be in vain,
Unwilling for the passing of my loved one
To be in shame.
I loved them more than I loved myself,
And their life will have meaning
In my action.
I am resolved,
And I am alive.

In a world blinded by the pursuit of pleasure,
I am here to say
That people are in pain.

In a world rushing to get ahead,
I am here to say
That people are being left behind.


In a world obsessed with the value of the market,
I am here to speak
For the value of life,
And I am alive.

This will be no quiet fight,
For I am the voice of audacity
In the face of apathy.


I am the spirit of bravery
In a word of action.
I am a commitment to action
In the face of neutrality.

I am out of the darkness.
I am into the light.
And I ?
I am alive.