melissaahowells - Have You Ever... (DECEMBER 4/2021)

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have you ever cried so hard
sobbed
and thought my mouth tastes of blood
have I broken my head
drowned my eyes
dissolved them with tears

if you don't understand
the above paragraph
which is not a metaphor
but an actual experience
gentle reader,
then you are not required
to read on

those who have not suffered yet
experienced great loss
often cannot recognize
pain

wait
soon enough
you might become acquainted with it
and its capacity
no its skill at turning you
into wriggling gelatin
or to flatten you out
and pull at the air
necessary to breathe in your lungs
or push nightmares into your sleep
or dread into your daily thoughts

you may think yourself
a tightly strung package
you might believe you have boots and straps to spare
and then something will happen
and down will come the grand piano
from its ropes
and squash----
there you are!!!
a cartoon character flapping your two skinny arms
attempting to raise your pancaked body
up off the pavement

it might not be so dramatic
it might not immediately occur to you
that yes, this is really happening to you
but when the bolt strikes you down
or the blow hits you full force
in your belly
and your screams of pain rise
up to meet the sky...
its then that
you may have an answer to
the eternal question
I pose here

Have you ever...
but why ask why
tragedy happens
and when it does and you haven't ducked
and the tears rain from your eyes
until you're a**-out
out of hope
looking for shelter...
wrung wet to dry

you might know then what
have you ever means

hold onto yourself
grab your comforter
God help you if you're all alone in this

reach out as fast as you can
and swallow your dull dim pride
when the
"Have You Ever Monster" hits
I pray you're not its prey
and that you can scrape yourself
up and do it quickly
skillfully expediently
so
you can help the others who've been
where you just were

help them
grab the shiny new coat
of silvery resilience

help them feel
less unfortunate

do you now recognize
you are an extension of the better nature of the world
your struggle
is their struggle too
and of the next person
and the next being
why not help them
struggle through
wear you cape
share your experience
be the Human Being and
Doing too?

that is the Name and the Game
called Humanity
clumsily we all struggle
that is our shared purpose
and our shared task
is to help others
get through

ease the sufferings
however whenever whoever you can
make the sun shine when it isn't shining
be the hand and the shoulder
and the word
that lifts up others
and guides them to
the better place
the healing place
that can be, could be
you.

THIS CAME TO ME AFTER A CRYING JAG AFTER AN EXCEPTIONAL BOUT OF
PROLONGED LOSSES...AND I DREAMED ABOUT IT AND THIS IS WHAT I CAME UP WITH 2 DAYS AGO
ITS NOT ADVICE...BUT IT MIGHT BE A ROAD MAP OF SORTS FOR BETTER WORLD

LEGAL COPYRIGHT FOR THIS POEM 1:18AM PACIFIC STANDARD TIME DECEMBER 4, 2021 TIME/DATE
STAMPED AND ALSO FOR THIS POET/WRITER MELISSA A. HOWELLS AND ALSO FOR THIS LEGALLY
COPYRIGHTED AND REGISTERED SITE TITLE:MELOO STRAIGHT FROM HER TILT-A-WORLD.