Live! You Liver. — a poem by Anja Notanja

You are a liver. You were born to live. You were born to see colors, smell smells, eat eats, shit shits, swipe at buzzing flies, laugh at both great and inane things, to cry cries, to lie lies, to sleep dreams, to miss home, to roam and roam, to sit and wait, to procreate ideas, to break expectations and most scheduled appointments, to sing, to loose teeth, to ask questions, to be brave while still afraid, to be loved, to hold yourself accountable for your all your actions, to forgive, to forgive, to forget, to remember, to forgive, to give thanks, to give praise, to be praised, to pee a high tinkle in ten thousand porcelain bathrooms, to take off your socks, to retain factoids, to suddenly remember the words of old teachers, to be there to watch that stray cat crossing the busy street, to turn up or down the heat, to stain shirts and carpets and to be in awe of the moon, to feel comforted by the sun, to pick flowers and kiss trees, to be a grown up kid in disguise, to pick up copper pennies, to walk down the sidewalks, through snow, sun and rain, to get lost in the woods, to read comic books, to read classics, to shoot at hoops, to crochet loops, to make faces at bored children, to argue with flailing arms, to watch someone eat your homemade guacamole with a fork, to wish on stars and signposts, to feel the power of your breath and to watch it put out fire, to blow accumulated dust away, to straighten up, to straighten out, to bounce down the stairs in a queer sort of way, to sculpt a bug house out of mud, to bury your sleeping friend in the sand, to spit over the ledge and watch ripples form, to doodle on envelopes, to send letters, run favors, offer rides, to collect signatures, to believe truth, to believe fantasy, to quit the job, to watch clouds, to lend out your sweaters, to fix hazardous steps, to be ready with the broth when your neighbor falls under the weather, to make observations from the porch, to water a cup of dirt and see what grows, to see faces in the crowd, to recognize the universal struggle, curiosity and love in each one, to feel empathy for broken windows, to feel empathy for the newspaper left on the empty bus seat, to feel empathy for those who do not understand us, to feel empathy for the cockroach, to feel empathy for our friends, to choke on a glug of water and then be so glad for the air, to notice the patterns in conversations, news and nature, to play cards with the lonely, to lend out your books and never see them again knowing that they are doing someone else some good, to be a mystery to others, to be a miracle to others, to reverse the curses cast upon us. Curses are abundant, cruel and benevolent. Each curse cast upon us is a story, character, experiment and lesson. What is the first lesson? Uncover the lessons and you will have wisdom. You will be with wisdom. All curses are unrefined blessings. Many curses are chronic, so develop a chronic positive attitude, even if you do not authentically feel positive at the moment. There is always hope, even if you are not the one who is carrying it. You already know what you are good at. You have talent for many things. Go out and live, you liver.

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Anja Notanja is a Writer, Artist, & Performer. You can visit her website and sign up for Anja's art and storytelling event news.