Occasionally, I see a meme on Facebook that resonates. I say that tentatively because I’m not quite sure what a meme is. Wikipedia tells me that a meme is an idea, behaviour, or style that becomes a fad and spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. Should a meme have a picture or can it be simply words?
Whatever this is, it struck a chord. Catriona Loughrey posted it on FB in July 2020. The Cayman iNews had it in December 2019. Savvy Raj shared it in January 2019 so it’s not a COVID thing, although that first line describes a typical COVID day. I really have no idea who wrote it or where it came from. And while I’d love to give credit where credit is due, I can’t. [Update: 31 August 2021: This poem was written by a Canadian man of Senegalese origin. His name is BOUCAR DIOUF.] That said, I’m sharing it as my first Grateful post of 2021 as there’s a message there that I want to read again and again this year to remind myself that the day is today.
Barely the day started and… it’s already six in the evening.Barely arrived on Monday and it’s already Friday.… and the month is already over.… and the year is almost over.… and already 40, 50 or 60 years of our lives have passed.… and we realize that we lost our parents, friends.and we realize it’s too late to go back…So… Let’s try, despite everything, to enjoy the remaining time…Let’s keep looking for activities that we like…Let’s put some color in our grey…Let’s smile at the little things in life that put balm in our hearts.And despite everything, we must continue to enjoy with serenity this time we have left. Let’s try to eliminate the afters…I’m doing it after…I’ll say after…I’ll think about it after…We leave everything for later like ′′ after ′′ is ours.Because what we don’t understand is that:Afterwards, the coffee gets cold…Afterwards, priorities change…Afterwards, the charm is broken…afterwards, health passes…Afterwards, the kids grow up…Afterwards, parents get old…Afterwards, promises are forgotten…Afterwards, the day becomes the night…Afterwards, life ends…And then it’s often too late….So… Let’s leave nothing for later…Because still waiting see you later, we can lose the best moments,the best experiences,the best friends,the best family…The day is today… The moment is now…We are no longer at the age where we can afford to postpone what needs to be done right away.So let’s see if you have time to read this message and then share it.Or maybe you’ll leave it for… ′′later”…And you’ll never share it….
Those last three lines annoy me in the same way FB posts guilting people into reshares do. But it’s not my poem, so it’s not for me to cut and edit. It is what it is, and I’m grateful for it.
4 Responses
This poem was written by a Canadian man of Sengalese origin. His name is BOUCAR DIOUF.
Thanks, Abigail
The last 3 lines that you say are annoying, we’re not part of the original poem. When I saw it posted, the last 2 lines were, “It Looks Like An Eternity, But It’s A Short Trip, Enjoy Life And Always Be Kind..” which also may not be part of the original poem.
That’s one of the drawbacks of the internet vs a book book – change vs static. I posted what I saw. I prefer the ending you saw.