And so, I’ve heard
or so I have been told that essentially
you just have to let it go.
You can’t hold on forever.
You can’t attach yourself
to the unwanted outcomes
or cling to the difficulties
which are beyond our control.
Life is always going to be life.
And look . . .
there it is
the world outside your door
which is big and vast,
as well as ongoing and optimal
and yes, this is all live
and loaded with endless opportunities
and countless possibilities.
Or, so I hope.
It is early now.
The day has not started (yet)
but the page is unwritten.
And this, I promise you,
this too shall pass.
Anything can happen.
Life is always subject to change
which means the sky could clear
and, at any moment,
the dark could subside to light.
The wars could end
and the battles can be forgotten
and you and I . . .
if we chose to,
we can allow
the truce to be more
than momentary.
Think now,
but not about the weight that holds us down
and not about the fights, or the battles
or the difference between right and wrong,
as in who was right
or who was wrong.
No.
None of these things are helpful.
I know all about the ugly things
and I see them all too often.
Well?
Don’t you?
Think about the wind
as it blows through the trees.
Or wait –
Think about the morning,
or think about the quietness
of standing at the window
and looking out to see a perfect scene.
Think about the absence of drama
and think about the absence of people,
or the places, and the things that cause you
to draw back.
Think about the freedom of breathing
without the anxious shortness of breath.
Let the hush from the moment
be quiet enough
to remind you of something sweet
or soft, or gentle
like, say for example;
think about the touch from the fingertips
of your love’s hand
and think about how this glides
along the side of your body
as their fingertips tickle gently across your skin.
No one says the feud has to last forever.
No one ever promised
there would be peace either,
but somehow, we can manage
and we can look to be peaceful,
if we choose to.
We can go
and live life
at any given moment.
And to tell you the truth,
I say this because,
in all fairness,
I have lost my taste for war.
I have lost my drive
and my desire
to have the last word.
I don’t have to win.
I don’t need to be right.
I just want to be happy.
That’s all.
The sun will turn on soon,
at least in a short while,
and I will have my day to contend with.
I understand the difference between now
and yesterday.
Or was it the day before then
and I was too blind to see
or too lost to understand
the world that was in front of me.
Either way,
I see clearly now.
I suppose this is why
people tell you that hindsight is 20/20,
which means it’s easy
to see what went wrong
when you look back,
and there you are, after the fact.
You find yourself wishing
you had said something different
or walked away
before things turned ugly.
But how long can this go on?
Or how long can you live in the past?
Seriously . . .
How long?
How long can you think between
what happened
and what should have been different?
It is only beginning now.
You. Me. Us.
The day is just starting
and, perhaps,
this is the start of something new
or something better.
Maybe you and I can salvage
what’s left of this so-called life
and find beauty.
Or, at minimum, maybe we can keep it simple
and do what it takes to enjoy a cup of coffee
and sigh with relief
before the day gets going.
Speaking of which,
I have to go.
I have a day to answer for
and a life to live.
I cannot end or bend the world
to be as I want it to be.
By any means, I have a life to live
good or bad, happy or otherwise –
but obviously,
I’d prefer the first
rather than the latter . . .
The Written Addiction 