FORBIDDEN
Pain without learning is forbidden,
waking up one day not knowing what to do,
being afraid of your memories.

It is forbidden not to smile at problems,
not to fight for what you want,
to abandon all because of fears,
not to realize your dreams.

It is forbidden not to show your love,
to be ashamed of your tears,
to not laugh with children,
to make someone else pay your debts, bad humor.

It is forbidden to forget your friends,
to not try to understand why they live far away,
to treat people as disposable,
to call them only when you need them.

It is forbidden to not be yourself in front of others,
pretending around people you don’t care about,
trying to be funny just so you'll be remembered,
to forget about all the people who love you.

It is forbidden not to do things for yourself,
to be afraid of life and its commitments,
to not to live each day as if it were your last.

It forbidden to take someone out without having fun,
to forget their eyes, their laugh,
to not respect love even if it is past,
just because your paths have stopped crossing,
to forget your past and only live in the moment.

It is forbidden not to try to understand people,
to think that other’s lives are worth more than yours,
to not know that each one of us has our own way and our own happiness.

It is forbidden not create your own story,
to have no time for people who need you,
to not understand what life gives to you, and that it can also be taken away.

It is forbidden not find your happiness,
to not live your life with a positive attitude,
to not think we can do better and be better,
to feel that without you, this world would still be the same...

José N. Harris