Scarecrow

Scarecrow 11/28/2014

We laughed while we could

But now we weep

Head in hands

Doubled over

And retching.

There are things

That defy explanation

And there are random tragedies

That sweep us away.

We are left with the aftermath

Dumb and open mouthed

Unable to grasp

Or utter a word.

The rug is pulled out

And we are left on the bare floor

Alone, desperate,

And cold. 

I was normal

And then I was not

As my fingernails could no longer

Keep me from falling.

What happens

When you do all you can

But still come up empty

Free falling through space. 

I didn’t want to see

And I didn’t want anyone to know

As I swallowed my life

One gulp at a time. 

Strong enough to crush

But weakened by loss

Pale, naked,

Impotent, and ghastly.

Ghosts do not care

And ghosts cannot love

Disembodied remnants

Of unfulfilled dreams. 

Wandering the halls

But unable to touch

Forever moaning

At the moment of death. 

Some envy the living

And some envy the dead

But for those in the middle

Either way is best. 

To live is to love

And who should live

Without that

As we become nothing but data

To use and delete. 

To be loved

Is to be understood

But who can be known

Without risk

And loss. 

Love again

If you can

Because if we don’t

We never will.