On our first night together, I noticed she had a small tattoo between her shoulder blades. It was a semi-colon with a pair of little birds flying around it. Naturally, I asked...
She told me it was the symbol of 'a punctuated life'...a meme which started on facebook a while ago in support of the fight against suicide and depression.
She then told me that 18 months earlier she had been in that place, when she decided to end her 30 year old marriage because of his repeated infidelities.
That was heavy. I barely knew her. But I really liked her and went home a little bit stricken, a little bit sad. But deeply inspired.
Next day I wrote this for her in the space of about two hours, made a present of it. It was Christmas eve.
I like to think that perhaps, just perhaps, it made a difference. She said it did.
https://soundcloud.com/laquila-409411957/a-punctuated-lifeLook down upon the world below
But don’t lose sight of everything you know
It’s just a moment passing by
A fragment in a punctuated life
Your eyes become a darker shade of green
Dampened by the sorrow and the sadness that you’ve seen
Let it go and look into the sky
Take a breath, spread your wings and fly
Could I waste a moment of your time?
Can I take a minute just to say what’s on my mind?
You are so beautiful
A verse of poetry
A semi-colon separating lines
In a punctuated life
Finish what you started, learn to love again
Just because it’s over doesn’t mean that it’s the end
We have tomorrow to decide
The way to lead a punctuated life