Easter Awakening

May the raindrops fall lightly on your brow

May the sunshine brighten your heart

May the burdens of the day rest lightly upon you

And may God enfold you in the mantle of His love.

Every drop of rain is a tear not cried by someone. People suppress their emotions every day. They swallow their sorrow with pride. They leave their heart unattended only because they think it is a waste, that they won’t be heard. That’s true. People don’t really listen to each other. They only truly hear what endangers their comfort zone. So, gradually, they enclose themselves between walls of fear and selfishness. Inside those walls, they cry tears of loneliness, but outside the world is dry. So there comes a time when the walls are not strong enough to restrain such tearful fountain. That is when the flood comes, a raging river causing damage and catastrophe. Everybody becomes desperate and hide inside their empty shells. But soon after there is no more water to run, they start building walls again, making themselves believe all of that is the best to do, to spare the world from their weaknesses, as if they were in fact preventing bad outcomes. They keep making the same mistake over and over again. Closing doors, running from problems, ending relationships, believing they should avoid such pain in order to survive. And so they become weak, unable to deal with the injustice that is conquering the world, day by day, while people choose not to get involved. The smallest sign of danger creates despair, and everyone weeps for their dying dreams. If only they believed how powerful they are before the plagues of the world… If only they reflected upon the meaning of a person coming back to life after presumed dead, after being sacrificed for doing only good – he harvested what he had planted… They would care more about life itself than think only about getting chocolate and thanking people for eggs they don’t even know why they get. It’s not spring here, but may goddess Eostre wish upon a star to renew our faith, enlighten our minds and raise awareness among the ignorant but still hopeful human kind, so they realize what a strong heart they have and see through their infinite power of change. We don’t need huge walls to protect us from harm. We need to open our hearts to greatness! We are better than we think. Believe in yourself. Believe in others. And you will conquer all!

Message on an Easter present card I got from my sister

Love of My Life

When I grow older,

I will be there at your side,

To remind you how I still love you

I still love you

One day in a small town in the South of Massachusetts, I met an old man at a bus stop near my house. He had this sad look in his eyes. He seemed so lonely. I kept going there to see if I would meet him again, and he came back every Friday afternoon. The man used to sit at the same spot, with his distant look. He had no belongings with himself, but from time to time he used to touch his left pocket. I didn’t know what that was about. On the third Friday we met, when I was observing the old man from the distance, he did that same gesture: he gently touched his left pocket, as he was making sure something was still there. I was able to see a piece of paper slipping from the inside. It got me very curious, so I had to go closer to give a better look. I sat next to the man, but he acted like no one was there. I tried to start a conversation. I said: "Hello, sir." He gave me no response. I tried again: “Excuse me, sir?" He still didn’t answer, but he looked down, his eyes full of tears. This time, he changed his ritual: instead of touching it, he removed something from his pocket. It was a black and white picture that revealed a young lady sitting on a chair. She seemed familiar somehow, a red-headed woman in a beautiful dress. The necklace she was wearing triggered my memory. At that moment, I figured out who he was and why he was there. 
Seven years ago, the city was devastated by a tragic incident: a woman at the bus stop was heading to her parents’ house, as she always did on Fridays, when two guys robbed her. They attempted to take her jewelry, but she struggled and refused to give it up, she begged not to take her necklace, it was too special. The men got furious and bludgeoned her until she lost consciousness. The woman was found with no ID, and she was so disfigured that no one from that small suburban city could identify her.
On their way to the hospital, the paramedics noticed something in her hand, a pendant in the shape of a lily. Unconscious, she was taken to the hospital but soon after she had a seizure and went to a coma. The case was on the news for two days straight until a guy named Harry Tranton appeared at the hospital clamming he was Jane Doe’s husband, that he had given her that pendant on their wedding day. She spent three years in a coma. Then, on their seventh wedding anniversary, the old man decided to withdraw care and let her go.
After my flashback finished, the old man was still looking at the picture. The woman had a unique beauty. She was wearing a long dress and had her hand on her knee. She was also wearing a ring, an engagement ring. For a moment, I thought I had already seen that ring before. Then I looked at my hand and noticed that mine was just like hers. I looked at the man and tears started to fall unwittingly from my eyes. At that point, I could see clearly. My Harry… I wasn’t strong enough for him, I let go too easily… I uttered his name: “Harry, it’s me, I’m here for you!”. I touched his hand, while he took a deep breath. I shouted: "I LOVE YOU, Harry! I am here, I still love you!". He whispered “I’m sorry I let you go, Lily…”, got up from the bench and went home, leaving the lily pendant behind. 
I stayed there, waiting at the bus stop, but he never came back. Hours passed and it soon got dark, but I couldn't move. I was paralyzed. Then, the sun started to rise and I felt a little bit of hope. For my surprise, a friendly woman passed by and told me she had been sent to meet me. She said she would guide me the way. I took the pendant and we headed home.

(First sketched in 2011, then edited throughout the years)

Ali, jaz quem eu fui um dia

Olho-me no espelho e rememoro a pessoa que eu fui um dia. Vivia em uma morada sombria, meio vazia, à meia luz. A brisa pela janela entreaberta já apagava a pequena chama que me acalentava. Andava só, vagava em meio a multidão. Sorria e ria, mas meu coração chorava lágrimas frias. Lá fora era dia, mas a noite nunca de fato partia. Eu era reflexo, o ricochete da bala disparada por uma arma de brinquedo. Era o eclipse constante de astros sem nome. Era o salto sem impulso. Era a imensidão de impossibilidades. Era a muralha sem fim. Eu era tudo e não era nada.

Hoje, não sei para onde vou, mas sei quem sou e sei quem eu quero ser. Sei que aquele sol lá fora nasce para nos acordar, reacender a nossa chama, fortalecer nossa esperança, enobrecer ainda mais o nosso coração e lembrar de agradecer por fazer parte deste universo de infinitas e belas possibilidades.

(18 de março de 2016)

Fragmentos da vida passada

Hoje, eu pereci em meio à luz

Sem avisos, sem motivos

O dia anoiteceu, assim como a minha alma

Não havia mais horizonte, nem sol, nem lua

Somente a escuridão de um nada.

É o coração ainda ferido, é a alma ainda triste

Com as injustiças do mundo,

Os pecados pagos por quem também os cometeu.

A colheita é tardia, o solo ainda não é fértil

Mas o cultivo é árduo, é persistente,

Ele há de vencer.

Eu tenho que vencer.

(15 de fevereiro de 2016)