There they stood.

I was gone for a moment
Ignorant, blissful and ageless
Lost in a darkness;
An unforgiving
Back stabbing
Revealing abyss.

There they stood before me
The ones taken too soon
The ones who spelled their own doom.
They spoke to me in pleas
And warnings.
Asking
And pleading
To let others know
What they know now-
That its not worth it
It never will be.

They left me with messages
And sent be on my way
Back to the land of the light,
Of greed and speed.
And with justice
Nowhere in sight.
A mother to her daughter:
“don’t fall down dear,
Don’t let the world get you down.
You’ve always somewhere better to go,
Always somewhere that can make you feel better, 
Make it all go away.
Don’t be afraid dear,
To leave what you have
And try for what you want.”

A soldier to his brother:
“brother brother
I love you, do not follow my steps.
I was angry, i was foolish.
I played hide and seek,
Like we did when we were kids,
But with shells
Bombs
And land mines.
Do not follow me steps, brother,
For i walked the path of anger
And it led to buried bomb.
My life ended,
And only the night before
I had written a letter home
Through tears and torn thoughts
Recalling when we played as kids,
Running in the woods
Racing up stairs
And playing in the mud.
Brother brother
Please do not end your life as i did.
Live for me,
Live for you.
Don’t be angry, 
Be understanding.
Think things through,
But don’t hold back.
Don’t hesitate
Live your life like you want to,
But please
Brother brother
Please just live,
And just do.”

An old man to his wife:
“Elly, i love you.
Even now, with the pain gone,
The rattling settled,
The aches soothed,
And i don’t even feel old,
The heartache still remains.
The same wrenching feeling
That rears its head every time you go,
Every time you leave me
Even for a moment.
I told you i loved you
But i never told you how much.
I was good to you,
But i was never good enough.
You deserved much better 
Than what i gave you
Yet you never said a thing.
You were the best thing that ever happened to me, 
Elly.
And i fear that i
Was the worst thing to happen to you.
I love you Elly,
I love you so much,
If i could do it again,
I’d tell you every day.
I’m sorry.”

From one friend to another:
“dude, remember the good days?
Like when we used to just hang around
And do nothing?
Or when we’d just go for a walk
And talk about all the stuff goin down in our lives?
Maybe have a few beers on my deck,
Who knows, maybe a joint too,
And retell stories,
Like of that one girl that one night,
Or that guy whose a*s you kicked in that fight?
Well, remember man.
Don’t ever forget. 
Don’t ever forget the good times,
They’re all you’ll have left to think about
When your time comes around. 
I couldn’t remember, man,
I tried so hard.
I thought that maybe if i relived the high lights,
It would all come back.
Remember driving home after a few?
Man that was fun.
The weaving and swerving,
Like a game to stay on the road.
The faster you could do it,
The more fun it was, remember?
I tried to relive that,
So i could remember the days.
I took that first drink,
And the second, third and fourth,
And many more im sure.
I took my keys,
I took what i thought was my pride.
I took my own life into my hands
When i decided to drive. 
I love you man, 
Don’t do what i did.
Remember the days,
When we were invincible,
Indestructible and unbeatable,
Where we were the best.
Remember those,
Don’t forget.
Because now i remember
But i forget what my girlfriend looks like,
Her eyes, her skin, 
Her hair and her voice.
I forget what the world gave to me
Every single day.
The sun on my face,
The wind at my back,
And the rain on my skin. 
I cant relax anymore,
I cant stress.
I cant get worried about if im late for work
I cant use my days off to do anything.
Im hanging here,
Suspended in this viscous thing,
I think its fate,
But who really knows?
Remember man, so you don’t forget.
Don’t join me here, at least not yet.
Cheers dude.”

A father to his son:
“money, wealth, and fame.
Thats what i was raised to see.
Thats all i saw,
Its all i knew.
I spent more time in the office
Then i ever spent with you.
You took your first step,
And i signed my first international proposal.
You said your first word,
And i took my first overseas flight.
You got your first A in school,
And all i said was ‘good job’
Over the phone while
While i was appraising south African
Blood diamonds and jewels.
I was all that is greed, son, 
I ignored you in your entirety,
And you still said you loved me.
Do not tell people i was your father,
I did nothing to raise you,
I wish i did
I wish i had the status of “dad”.
All i can say, boy, 
Is this:
Love your family,
Love them love them love them.
Let they know it, 
And let everyone else know
That they will always come second.
Your family is your legacy,
Legally i had one,
But i am not a part of it anymore.
My legacy was a house of cards,
Built on the shoulders of others.
Do not make my mistake
And be taken in by the allure of wealth.
Make a legacy for yourself son, 
And love your family.”

The letters, warnings, 
Cautionings and regrets are endless.
I could go on forever.
They left me with a lifetimes of stories
That would take more than forever to tell.
These are only some
But the list goes on. 

To whomever may find meaning in these,
I beg you to listen to them.
If my girlfriend hadn’t found me when she did
Called an ambulance when she did,
Kissed me and told me i cant leave her yet,
When she did,
I would have too little blood in my veins
To be telling you this.
I would just be another story teller
And you’d just be another blindman.
I hope i’ve opened your eyes,
I hope you’re ready to see.
I hope you’re ready to live life
And be all that you can be.
I hope.