There are things that
Need to be finished
And yet aren’t.
Matters left for
Another time
That never arrives.
Regrets stuffed
Deeper down, to
Resurface another day.
Perhaps he means well,
But it’s these kinds of
Stunted feelings,
Maudlin displays of
Melodramatic puerility,
That presage much more
Serious repercussions in
Situations requiring
Deeper insight.
Seeing them after so
Many years, it dawns
On her how different
She is now, not the
Same person that used
To be deeply enmeshed
In the intrigue and
Chaos, expected to
Get with the program
Without resistance,
Fold neatly
Into submissiveness.
An event perfectly planned
Down to the most minute
Detail, swiftly derailed by
The most mundane of unforeseen
Glitches, competently handled
By some, a cause for great
Alarm to others, nobody
Notices on the outside,
Or cares, everything appearing
Just fine to the unsuspecting.
What should be
A joyous moment
Becomes a tedious
Chore, fraught with
Discomfort, trepidation,
The memory of how things
Evolved to this point.
It would be nice to
Be able to avoid it,
But some things
Are inescapable.
The most eloquent
Argument, based on
Critical thinking,
Empirical evidence,
Objective reality,
Reason,
Is no match for his
Emotionally-driven
(Fear-motivated to be specific)
Vituperations on pretty much
Any topic he decides
To inflexibly defend.
I remember as a child
Wondering why some people
Seemed scarier than others:
Hard, troubled, unfriendly,
Staring through me with
Cold expressions, barely
Able to say hello without
A scowl, making me want to
Get away from them as
Quickly as possible lest
Something disturbing happen;
As an adult, I still see them.
She was one of
The few who
Dared to follow
Her dreams,
Leaving herself
Vulnerable to
Being judged by
People who never
Had the courage to
Be themselves.
They fought each other
For years, and when they
Finally decided to put an
End to the ordeal they’d
Both been living, they
Battled each other over
Every insignificant detail,
Each trying to prove that
He or she was right, a
Mania that had destroyed
Whatever they once had
And would persist
Indefinitely.
