What if this was your last breath
A reflective poem by Allie Michelle
What if this was your last breath?
I’ll say it again, so you really think about it this time.
What if THIS was your last breath?
Take a breath.
And as your lungs taste oxygen for the final time, watch as death unravels the fabric of your story beneath his bony fingertips,
to take an honest look at the life that you lived.
You watch, With wide eyes, the chapters that unfold revealing your mark on Earth from the very first second that your body was birthed.
Every love, every loss,
every trial, every triumph,
the pages are turning quickly now and you beg for more time as all these precious memories flash across your eyes,
he pauses
and slightly turns his head
then asks you about your biggest regret.
“Is it that you held back in life?”, he says.
In a moment, the truth could have tumbled from your lips, did you water it down or swallow it?
Were you brave in love? Did you give all of your heart? or did you keep part of it tucked away afraid if it were seen you’d be left alone in the dark
Were you courageous in your choices? or did you convince yourself that comfort was the smart thing, and that was all you were capable of, as though every atom and cell in your body isn’t an impossible love story of creation?
Did you hold onto things and allow your heart to become hearted by your suffering?
Or did you let forgiveness soften the sharp edges of your pain because all the destroyed you, was only ever revealing what was indestructible in you.
when we avoid death, we avoid life,
when we avoid death, we avoid life
when we avoid death we avoid LIFE.
WAKE UP.
Death whispers…
Because he can see that we only have a few magic seconds here…
So now there’s only one page left.
Before you exhale that final breath
he eyes you curiously, and says,
what would you do if I left this page blank?
Would you stay awake?
Or would you allow yourself to remain owned by what you were afraid to face?
If I let you go back, would you hold back?
Or would you finally live the life you WISH you had?
Exhale.
~ BY:
This reflective poem i first heard a few years ago on a podcast episode with “DejaBlu”, and has become one of my favorites. The writer Allie, I’ve been following for years now! her poems are relevant and resonates with me so deeply, i see my own thoughts and feelings reflected in her words. This one came back to me this past week, with the loss of a loved one. The concept of death and living life to the fullest has always been in my thoughts, but experiencing a lose so close to home, heightened this feeling. When my nonna was in her last days, she was at peace, and fulfilled with a life well lived. Seeing her kids and grandkids all grown up and doing well in life, made the process easier, knowing she did what she needed to in this journey on earth in her physical form. And that’s the hope for all us at the end, to have the blessing of leaving earth peacefully and in fulfillment. Tomorrow is not promised, so as they say, make the most of every moment.
Thank you for reading! And make sure to check out the original author Allie, on Instagram as well, where she share more beautiful poems and her books!
love and light🌞🪐✨
~ Gabi✨