It was the summer of the
great sadness
great sadness
it came upon me, inside me, beside me
unexpectedly
an ache settling
in the hollow place where
my ribs meet beneath my heart
the sharp edges, sometimes muffled
by a sort of emotional blanket,
only to burst through
ah, sweeping pain
radiating upward, downward
to my eyes, to my pubic bone
the hurt
"go away" i said, "let me go away" i said
but
the great sadness never listened
it just hugged me close
a dismal friend;
in moments, it would fade behind
a simple pleasure,
and I would forget to remember
but with the gentle nudge
of a phrase, an object, a scent, a sound
it was there,
again,
always,
unexpectedly
an ache settling
in the hollow place where
my ribs meet beneath my heart
the sharp edges, sometimes muffled
by a sort of emotional blanket,
only to burst through
ah, sweeping pain
radiating upward, downward
to my eyes, to my pubic bone
the hurt
"go away" i said, "let me go away" i said
but
the great sadness never listened
it just hugged me close
a dismal friend;
in moments, it would fade behind
a simple pleasure,
and I would forget to remember
but with the gentle nudge
of a phrase, an object, a scent, a sound
it was there,
again,
always,
unsuffocated