Used to Be

I remember being more than a picture

Or a sound bite on the news

More than a moment in time

A body thrown away

A home destroyed

A limb of a broken family tree.

I used to be somebody

But life goes on.

I remember learning my mother’s recipes

And braiding my daughter’s hair

I remember kissing my husband goodbye (!)

And hugging my son before his eyes drifted close.

Shampooing my hair in the shower

Watching the sun rise and

Seeing the sun set.

I used to be somebody

But life goes on.

I remember being more than labels

More than words

More than descriptions;

Victim, hostage, elderly

Disfigured, harmed, collateral damage

Young, hero, feared dead, found dead.

I used to be somebody

But life goes on.

A life goes on.

And on.

And on.