Life is life

Life is life
And not its results.

It isn't the big house
High up on the mountainside,
Or the cups or medals
(gold or fake)
that fill the shelves.
Life isn't only that.
Life is life.

It isn't the long journeys
To far-off lands and cities,
Or the strange people
(some well, some badly photographed)
that we meet there.
Life isn't only that.
Life is life.

It isn't the rain on the roof,
Or the hail on the window,
It isn't the snow, or the moon
or even light itself
(wonderful though that is).
Life isn't only that.
Life is life.

It isn't the woman or the man
Whispering in our ear,
It isn't our parents or our children,
Our siblings or our friends
(new and old).
Life isn't only that.
Life is life.

Translation by Margaret Jull Costa