Don’t die before you’re dead.
Don’t let the grind of days steal the breath from your spirit
Or the weight of worry cement your feet in place
When death finds you
Let it find you alive
Let it find you with fire in your eyes
With laughter tangled in your lungs
And songs swelling in notes to the skies

Live.
Live with joy like it’s a rebellion
A refusal to let the darkness win
Smile wide enough to crack the walls of your fears
Let your curiosity roam untamed
Chasing the edges of the horizon
Like a child who believes the ocean is endless

Be audacious.
Speak louder than the silence that tries to hold you
Dare to dream when the world says, “Be small”
Dance, even when the music is only in your head
Run toward the things that scare you
Because courage is not the absence of fear—
It’s choosing to live fully in spite of it

Speak out.
Don’t bear the agony of an untold story, not told
Your voice dying within you, unheard
Don’t sit still, pregnant with potential
Never to give birth to your purpose
Speak the truth etched on your soul
Let your words carve pathways for others
Let your gifts see the light of day
A buried dream is a tragedy the world can never mourn

When the clock ticks
Don’t just count the hours—
Make them count
When the seasons shift—
Don’t mourn the leaves that fall,
Celebrate the seeds you’ve sown

So when death comes knocking
Let it find you alive
Not half-lived or worn down by regret
But shining with the audacity of a life fully embraced
And the joy of knowing you left no moment unlived
Don’t die before you’re dead

Afterword: The inspiration for this poem stems from: the proverb, “When death finds you, may it find you alive,” and Maya Angelou’s powerful words, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” These are part of my life motto and together they form the foundation of my “Why I Write” declaration, driving me to live fully and to ensure my voice is heard.

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In creative solidarity, Dee

“Purpose drops in our laps
as if the heavens threw it by accident”
like a star slipping out of orbit
like a word spoken out of turn
yet somehow exactly what was meant to be said

It falls—
heavy as a stone in still water
light as a feather floating on the wind
carrying weight and ease
in equal measure

We don’t always know what to do with it—
this gift disguised as a burden
this question wrapped in the skin of an answer
Do we cradle it like glass,
fragile and precious?
Or do we let it burn our palms,
carving its truth into our skin?

The heavens may play coy
but there are no accidents here
Purpose lands exactly where it is supposed to—
in trembling hands
in restless hearts
in the laps of those
who thought they were sitting still
but were actually waiting all along

It whispers:
“Carry me, even if you stumble.
Shape me, even if you break.
Live me, and I will make you whole.”

Purpose drops in our laps
as if the heavens threw it by accident

Afterword: A speech by Deshauna Barber delivered at an alumni event at the University Maryland global campus was the muse for this piece, inspired from this line: “purpose drops in our laps as if the heavens threw it by accident.”

You may also like: “For Purpose, On Purpose”

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Like what you see? To never miss a post click HERE👈 to subscribe & follow the blog. There’s more HERE👈 and on Spillwords, the Writers Club & Facebook.

In creative solidarity, Dee

Not going somewhere to happen, not chasing the next …
For purpose, on purpose, in the now to invest
Not bound by tomorrow, nor haunted by past
But rooted in moments that matter and last

Each breath is a choice, stepping into your own
The journey unfolds, though the path stays unknown
No waiting for destiny to knock at your door
Live in the fullness of now, nothing more

The future will come, but today is your stage
To live without worry, unchained by the age
For purpose, on purpose, each second a gift
Stand in the present, poised for the shift

So here in this moment, rise and shine
Live with purpose, embrace the Divine
Tomorrow’s not promised, there’s no guarantee
This moment is all to be all you must be

Linked to The Shift

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Like what you see? To never miss a post click HERE👈 to subscribe & follow the blog. There’s more HERE👈 and on Spillwords, the Writers Club & Facebook.

In creative solidarity, Dee