Some people
Suffer as children
And become adults
Who inflict the same
Pain on others.
Some people
Suffer as children
And become adults
Who alleviate
Others’ pain.
He grew up in a
Horribly abusive family,
Passed around from
One ghastly relative to
Another, surrounded by
Chaos and violence
No matter where he went.
Eventually channeled into
The foster care system,
He lived with several
Families that seemed to
Have other things in mind
Other than really loving and
Caring for children like him.
Now in his forties,
He’s successful beyond
His wildest dreams, and
Does everything in
His power to make sure
No one has to go through
What he did.
Wave after wave
Testing his mettle,
Eroding what little
Strength remains,
Each day a new test
Of perseverance.
In one corner of the
House, someone was reading
Something that went
Completely against what
Everyone else in the home
Deemed appropriate,
Something so revolutionary
It might actually allow
Some light to shine upon
An otherwise shadowy mess.
It was clear
He tried his best
But, as usual,
It just wasn’t enough,
It never was,
Which brings us
To today.
Alone in a room,
Wondering if anything
He’s done has any value,
Whether his decisions
Have all been mistakes,
Despondency his companion,
Inner comfort unreachable,
Questioning everything that
Has transpired in his life,
A sense that nothing will
Ever go right because it
Never has before,
He gets up and leaves.
A blossom
Doesn’t care about
Anything other than
Being a flower.
Beautiful.
Someone comes
Along and deems it
Inadequate,
Frightening,
Unimportant,
Strangles it.
The plant lies
Dormant,
Anticipating
Another day.
The inspiring resilience of
Those who endure unimaginable
Horror at some point in life
And refuse to remain bound by
Dread, realizing instead that
There is more to life than
Settling into the lowest hollow,
Rising to heights of limitless,
Healing, love and peace.
A serious man was asked why he
Rarely laughed. He paused a
Moment and said he had once been
Deeply in love and his heart
Had been broken in such a way that
He could no longer laugh.
A smiling man was asked why he
Laughed all the time. He confided that
He had once loved someone who had
Left him at the altar and laughter
Healed the wound. He also mentioned
That the mother of the bride sneezed during
the ceremony, catapulting her wig into the aisle.
