Solitude’s Companion (A narrative poem)

I woke up this morning

contemplating on the story of a lost boy

the one that ran away,

they said when he ran he did the right thing,

I always found myself asking why,

They said before he ran he always had this look in his eye

one that spoke more than he did;

they said there’s not much difference

between the way he lived his life before and

the way he lives his life now

they said, that bagpack you see him with,

that’s how he’d always carry around life’s baggage,

he had the whole world on his shoulders,

we’d be damned if we even knew his real name

they said.

I always asked, where he went?

Did he have any family willing to help him?

They said it didn’t matter where he went or who he saw,

he’s not intending on letting anyone see

the reflection he sees,

but he’ll be fine.

I always asked how do you know?

They said because he’s been lost his whole life

only thing he fears is being found,

and we know that’s not so bad, right?

He’s used to floors, begging mostly,

Smacked around by pain so much, he’s gone numb,

but the great thing about him is

he’s forgotten.

Forgotten?

Yeah, how to dream, wish, hope – expect!

He thinks good is something that hides behind

darkness, selfishness and religious morality,

that happiness is just a word,

and charity is what he is,

so maybe it’s better he stays lost.

You want to know how it ended for him?

He came upon a crossroad,

each turn reflecting a part of him,

but only one reflecting what he desires,

And you know what?

He took the road he was most familiar with

and he was determined not to turn back.

What a child, eh?

This poem speaks about a boy who lost everything growing up and as a result he gave up believing that the world had anything to offer him. Every time it came to getting to know new faces or getting accustom to new places he remembers fitting in was never something that appealed to his nature and so he starts to run again. The boy represents a lot of us in society, who feels as though we’ve lost ourselves due to past circumstances. The poem states that we all have the opportunity to receive more than we could ever imagine in life but due to being lost for so long hope, faith and all the other great things life expect us to have seems too good to believe in much less have any effect at all on our lives. The poem concludes by showing that somewhere down the line similarly to the boy we all reach a form of crossroads in our lives, a point in which we’re given the opportunity to better our lives and a lot of us would take advantage of this by traveling a new path but the rest of us well like the old saying once said “better the devil you know than the angel you don’t.”

Secrets and Choices

“We are our choices” – Jean-Paul Sartre

It’s funny how your whole world can change in a week and it’s funny the choices you find yourself having to make when it does, but what’s worst is how quickly you find yourself going against everything you once stood for just to dig yourself out of a bad situation. We hear constantly life’s unpredictable, you just have to stay strong, remain optimistic and things will change, the thing about it is in order to bring forth change you’ll need to make some really big decisions and a lot of times you might find yourself beset by thoughts that are neither honorable nor considerate when faced with these choices.  So, what do you do when your way out results in you having to do something really selfish or better yet heinous?

I was always a fan of running; I thought if you leave the past in the past, learn to put one foot in front of the other without looking back, then hopefully the past will choose to remain in the past, but life has a way of digging up graves and dragging the bones directly to your doorstep. I guess what I’m trying to say is we all keep secrets, little ones, big ones it seems to matter less and less in a world like this, what really matters is the lengths we go to to keep them hidden. Some of us get lost keeping them, we find ourselves having to create more lies to cover up the ones we already told and before you know it we find that we’re in over our heads (I think is the phrase to use) with too many tales to remember. They say our secrets and the choices we make, makes us who we are today, that it defines us or whatever, well if that’s true then we’re all cowards as well as courageous idiots in my opinion but we’re too blind to see it. I think the worst thing about secrets is how foolish it leaves us; you start to think that maybe something can stay hidden forever or that you need to do anything necessary to ensure it stays hidden forever, but maybe the effects of exposing it won’t be as calamitous as you would like to think, maybe those around you will understand or help you in some way or maybe that’s just stupidity talking.

I think in life your secrets are yours to deal with and so are your choices and yes they affect those around you in more ways than you can imagine but it is what it is. I always thought that if you made a horrible decision then it’s only fair you take responsibility for it rather than dwelling on what could have been done differently or why it had to happen to you to begin with. Main point is you have a choice to make when it comes to your secrets and it’s simple, do you want to keep hiding and running or are you ready to face the consequences it bring? Either way I say do whatever you want but prepare yourself for if/when it catches up with you because apparently what’s done in the darkness must come to light – or something along those lines. I always said growing up “hope for the best but prepare for the worst.”

"Some choices we live not only once but a thousand times over, remembering them for the rest of our lives" - Richard Bach.

"Too often in life, something happens and we blame other people for us not being happy or satisfied or fulfilled. So the point is, we all have choices, and we make the choice to accept people or situations or to not accept situations." - Tom Brady.