drown the past

there are so many
of us that are damaged
from the past.
some hate men
and some hate women.
some despise
because of race,
or because of sexuality,
political leanings,
or simply because of
expression.

broken and bent,
we become trapped
by our experiences
rather than looking on
with curiosity
as to why we feel
the way we do.

so much harm is done
to us that we
have the tendency to
relate all harm
as being perpetrated
by those who have done
us harm in the past.
we use outward appearances
to dictate how we
respond in the future.
we see a certain race,
a certain sexuality,
a certain gender,
and assume that
since we were harmed
by that type of person,
all those types of people
are out to harm us.

we give light
to the probability
of future pains
from past sufferings.

we exclude entire
demographics
because of our
negative
experiences.

we use our past
to build walls
in the future
when we should be
trying to build
sepulchers
to the trials
we have endured.

burn away the haze

life is rough going.
you hold on
and do the best
that you can
with what you have.

lives fall out of place;
good lives
              and bad lives.

there are times
when there doesn't
seem to be
such a thing as
               retribution,
and all the pieces
don't want to line up
the way they're supposed to.

you lose people along the way
and it just makes
the ones who remain
all that more special.

and sometimes
there are so few
special people left
that you feel alone
in the crowd.

simple things
become a burden.

rising from bed
in the morning
is like waging
a war
when you
are the only trooper
left to fight
in the trenches.

in times like these,
you're led to drink
and drugs
or
hurling yourself
in front of a bus.

but it doesn't matter.
you're still here
for whatever reason,
and with a well placed
thought,
the remedy is at hand.
you get on with life
and life gets on with you
and the mysterious thoughts
come and go
like the rain.
but at the end of
every day,
no matter the clouds
in the sky,
the sun must set.
and no matter the fog
that distracts your view,
the very same sun
must come up in the morning
to burn away the haze.