What if when your time comes
and you’re lifted toward the light,
it’s not your humanly sins that are illuminated?

What if when your body fades into earth
and all that’s left is your energy,
it’s not all your mistakes and wrong-doings
that linger,
waiting for reconciliation?

What if it’s simply:
Did you surf?
Did you sing at the top of your lungs,
even though you worried no one would want to listen?
Did you take photographs,
print them,
and try to make a life from that—
even though it felt like the whole world was telling you to be rational?
Did you notice the wings of birds
and wonder if you, too, could take flight?
Did you put down the pile of dirty clothes
because suddenly you got the urge to paint?
Did you jump in the ice cold gorge
because what you needed was aliveness?
Did you sit alone on long, lonely days
without a paycheck,
with stacks of scratch,
because you had words inside you willing to be written?
Did you sketch, did you build?
Did you go to your farmer to tell him you care?
Did you silence your phone
to throw your child the football?
Did you become a really good stay-at-home-mom,
even though the world told you you should be working outside, too?
Did you become as free
and as light
and as powerful as you could be,
even though it meant breaking chains
day after day—
even on days you were too tired to try?

What if on judgment day,
all your mess-ups are not measured
but, rather, the question that comes is:
Did you listen?
When your heart whispered her passions,
did you pursue?

~

~

Author: Jaime Lauren Posa
Image: Allef Vinicius/Unsplash 
Editor: Nicole Cameron
Copy Editor: Catherine Monkman