Child of Bleak Misery

Astutely manipulative, capable of clever
sociological terminology explaining much
and little; never have we experienced
joy from you. Pleasure yes, when an infant
in those too-brief respites when you
were of a moment tranquil or blissfully
asleep. Since those distant times the
storms of your temperament have been
the distemper of our times made
troublesome and grey with your constant
and fervent dissatisfactions.

Never satisfied with anything, your
irredeemably sour view of life and failed
intimate relationships forever surprise,
alarm and sadden us. Your intransigent
complaints of the world's assaults upon you,
fortune's neglect of your needs, leave us
gasping with disbelief and denial. For
fortune gifted you royally, with good health,
intelligence, beauty and talent, all soured
by incessant dark moods, accusing
and assailing others' sensibilities with
rancorous demands to your dominant will.

How, we wonder, could such a warped view
of life have resulted from a loving and
supportive family; the ultimate communion
of love between parents, their concomitant
dedication to their children's well-being,
opportunities and experiences? Brief encounters
with you leave us emotionally drained, life-
force and spirit sucked dry. Your looming,
intimidating presence upon all who circle
your orbit leaves them gasping for release from
the malign tension of your dark and controlling
need to dominate. In the final analysis,

we feel trapped, manipulated, unblessed by
your dourly miserable plaints. Though we yet
love and struggle with compassion for your self-pitying
sense of life-betrayal, our need to rescue ourselves
dictates a distance you have yourself planned
and accommodatingly engineered.

Badger and belittle, excoriate and condemn,
stand in ruthless judgement, find wanting all others.
Yourself acclaim for reasonable understanding
of the dim failures of those you reject. Brook no
opposition or pleas for empathy. Reduce
another's resolve to shattered confidence. Prey,
endlessly. Wreak havoc with others'

sentimental attachment to rational communication.
Probe their weaknesses with the fine needle
of your unforgiving righteousness. Leave them
aghast at their helplessness in self-defence;
cringing before your white-hot anger, utterly
shattered. In the silence, reflect. Soon saving
introspection elicits "I'm sorry" and suddenly
we are loved, you are loved and all is forgiven.