-The puppet-

If for an instant God has forgotten that I am made of a rag doll,

and had given me a piece of life, possibly I would not say all that I think,

but I would definitely think of all that I have to say.

I would value things, not for their worth but for their significance.

I would sleep a little less, dream more,

understanding that for each minute we close our eyes

we lose sixty seconds of light.

I would walk when others hold back,

I would wake when others sleep.

I would listen when others talk,

and how I would enjoy a good chocolate ice cream!

If God were to give me a piece of life,

I would dress simply, throw myself face first into the sun,

baring not only my body but also my soul.

My God, if I had a heart, I would write my hate on ice,

and wait for the sun to show.

Over the stars, I would paint with the dream of Van Gogh, a poem of Benedette,

and a Serrat song would be the serenade I’d offer to the moon.

I would give my tears to water the roses,

to feel the pain of their thorns, and the red kiss of their petals...

My god, if I had a piece of life...

I wouldn’t let a single day pass without telling the people I love that I love them.

I would convince each woman and each man that they are my favorites,

and I would live in love with love.

I would show men how very wrong they are

to think that they cease to be in love when they grow old,

not knowing that they grow old when they cease to be in love!

To a child I shall give wings,

but I shall let him learn to fly on his own.

I would teach the old that death does not come with old age, but with forgetting.

So much have I learned from you, oh men...

I have learnt that everyone wants to live on the peak of the mountain,

without knowing that real happiness comes from the process of scaling it.

I have learnt that when a newborn child squeezes for the first time with his tiny fist, 

his father’s finger, he has him captivated forever.

I have learnt that a man has the right to look down on another

only when he has to help the other get to his feet.

From you I have learned so many things,

but in truth they won’t be of much use,

for when I keep them within this suitcase, unhappily I shall be dying.

_Grabiel Garcia Marquez