Lonely Planet

Life is a heavy burden, a tired
succession of heart stops on
the journey to despair for too
many who began their passage
believing it would be otherwise.
They recognized at various
bends in the road a challenge,
an opportunity and rose, they
felt, to the occasion. Sometimes
the occasion slipped right by,
leaving the disbelievingly
incredulous survivor adrift.

They struggled forward, ever
determined to grasp new promises,
but those too, fate grasped from
their eager fingers. Yet the bereaved
hand remained an open appeal,
pleading with the spirit not to
surrender. We see these weary souls
around us, mechanical smile, blank,
uncomprehending eyes, faces
creased in the desperation of
empty existence, hungry for notice.

Their need so raw it cannot
be a mystery. There is little to be
done for no one can unravel a life
lived without joy. But little will
also herald the brief relief that
acknowledgement brings, with
inclusiveness. A welcome, however
brief and mere facade will still
reassure, found in a greeting of
genuine gladness, a sincere smile,
a lingering conversation, and an
acquaintance's fond hug, whether
physical or inherently implied.