CCC

The wounded soul
tormented by memory
anxious to know
yet fearful of seeing
the cause of its pain
the source of the hurt
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Life is never easy
yet in the emptiness
it almost seems to be
Life is not always hard
but in the gone-ness
of what existed
between you and me
it almost never ceases
to be
A friendship to be cherished
dashed by one moment
of stupidity
followed too late by
lucidity
wiped from the slate
that chronicles this passage
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the loss of a limb can be considered tragic in a mostly physical sense. but the loss of a friend, and a dear one at that, wreaks much more profound and lasting havoc in a person. for with the loss of a limb, physical therapy, combined with a limited amount of occupational therapy, allows the individual to adapt, learn, and move on with their life. it reduces or eliminates completely the phantom pains often associated with such injury. but what about phantom pains of the heart? not the physical blood-pump within the chest, but the emotional center of the human being. sure, psychology and psychiatry can help some, but in reality, who are we kidding? it's just a replacement process. we replace the "bad" feelings with "good" feelings, ones that don't make us mopey and bummed out. but that's the point. we should feel mopey and bummed out. think about it. we spend large amounts of time cultivating specific relationships with people that we regard as assets to the specific social circle we happen to belong to. and when something happens that forces one or more person(s) out of the group, it leaves a void that is extremely hard to fill. the problem is, today we are all so focused on trying to get ahead, trying to prepare for the ever-changing future that awaits, that we have no bloody time to feel morose, depressed, bummed out or even just plain old sad. and that sucks. it takes time to go through the steps of change, to navigate through from denial to acceptance. but no takes the time to do it. that's why there are so many crazy people in our society. repressed grief, social anxiety, gruelling deadlines... it's no wonder to me that people go postal on each other the way they do. the need a method to cope, to vent their destructive emotions, but in this supposedly "enlightened" society where it's "okay" to be in-touch with one's inner-self, being public with one's feelings and emotions still has a negative social stigma attached to it. I would argue that this stigma has become stronger, because on the surface, John Q. appears to be supportive and understanding, but it's a totally different story at home in the dining room. And that is where the stigma has gathered its strength, because it is increasingly important in this day and age for people with whom one has next to zero daily contact with to think of them in a positive light. It's the unspoken message that shreds the fragile psyche of the "new mellenium person". Nobody's perfect, but they should be. that's what's running through the collective conscience of this new society. I say, nobody's perfect, and why should they be? You are who you are. For God's sake, just accept it. No, actually, for YOUR sake, accept it.