if I have to fear something

let it be the cold and the dark

where I lose myself

and where I always rediscover myself

but let it not be

a fear of others

 

if I have to despair

let it be when I am lost

when all roads seem to lead me astray

but will eventually give me freedom

but let it not be

despair of humankind

 

if I have to bleed

let it be as I wound myself

climbing a mountain, as he calls me

without mercy

or falling out of a tree, in my own little adventure

but let it not be

by the hand of an enemy

 

if I have to die

let it be by a terrible storm

let it be on some distant shore

that bewitched me with its beauty

let it be by nature that humbles me

before it slowly reels me in

but let it not be

by the hatred living in another soul

 

but if I have to love

oh if I have to love

then let it be love for another human being

with its broken beauty

with its fragile fierceness

its small sweet struggles

and its neverending relevance