Ballad of Sorrow

Growing

feel it

I do

can you?

Chasm deep

one side me

one side you

seems so simple

build a bridge

cross together

life

blissful

pleasant

needed to salve

broken spirit

needed to prove

love reality

novelty

for one never loved

only owned

an extension of other

never seen

never validated

until…..

Papered cracks

velvet wrapped

beneath

terror

wide river

racing

trapped

beneath

gasping

roiling in rapids

overwhelmed

safety net

threatened

ripped

hanging on with whitened knuckles

bleeding fingers

while struggling to make you see…..

Vast expanse

ice made

how to cross

fire no longer scorches

watching

fear laced tongue

laced to smiling lips

will bent

will extended

losing self

to make another happy…..

Words dance

tuneless in the air

mouths moving

no one listening

fears

fast dividing

I see you

on the floe

facing away

unable to dance over moving water

leaving me behind

see you not

the pain

the need

the want

fed by

paralyzing fear

reality of life

abuse

degradation

falling down the rabbit hole

why

has it come to this?

Voices

broken whispers

tears

stars reflected

heart

never freely given…..

slashed

battered

chained behind iron

given to you

with gritted teeth

for I know

simple as

one

two

three

one day

you will leave.

©Nov. 20/20

Picture via Pinterest

And Death Rides

Yesterday I vacillated between being ok and being sad.

When I arrived at work the first thing I learned was that a regular customer-a gentleman I have served for the last 18 years-not only at the grocery store

but before that as a waitress-had passed from Covid.

My heart broke.

And then at lunch I made another mistake.

I looked at the obituary page for our area.

And was devastated by what I discovered.

In the last two weeks-14 days-I have had 4 of my regular customers pass away.

4 in 14 days.

4 beautiful healthy seniors who lived life fully gone in a space of days.

One customer I served him last Wednesday.

Sunday he was gone.

I know that I harp on about masks.

I know that I harp on about listening and doing what needs to be done to lessen the impact of this virus until a vaccine is ready.

I know that I harp a lot.

But yesterday the reality came crashing down.

4 people.

14 days.

That my friends is Death by Covid.

I knew there was a reason why I avoided looking at the obits.

©Nov. 20/20

Picture via Pinterest

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