Nosotros

We have the joy of our joys
and also the joy of our pains,
because we find little interest
in the painless life
that consumerism packages and sells
and we take pride in the price
of so much pain,
that with such love,
we pay.
We have the joy of our mistakes,
the stumbling downfalls
that prove our passion for walking
and our love for journey’s path.
And we have the joy of our losses
because the struggle for justice and beauty
are worth the pain even when we lose.
And more than anything, above all else,
we have the joy of our hopes.
In the face of disillusionment
when hopelessness has twisted itself into
a faddish item for universal consumption,
we continue to believe
in the startling powers of the human embrace.

John Paul’s English translation of the poem known as “Nosotros” by Eduardo Galeano, first shared with the Corrymeela Community in Northern Ireland in 1997.
Watch a video of John Paul reciting this poem here.
Context and the original Spanish version of this poem are generously shared by Francisco Diez.