Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Shakespeare said parting is such sweet sorrow.

I disagree.

There is nothing sweet about sorrow. Nothing beautiful or romantic. Sorrow is painful. It's scary and it is weak.

Sorrow, my friend, shows you for the whimpering mess you are. For the scared little child you try so hard to hide away. It shows your addiction, your dependency.

No, there is nothing sweet about sorrow. And there is nothing sweet about parting. Because parting means goodbyes and farewell.

And it reminds you that eventually, everyone leaves.

Friday, April 22, 2011

A psalm of life

This is a poem written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. We discussed it in out literature class and the sheer simplicity of the feeling is beautiful. But when you put this in context of life here in SIMC it is pretty much the most ironic thing you could read. It's funny actually how life here in college goes.

TELL me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream ! —
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real ! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal ;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,— act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time ;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

And waiting is something we have learnt to do, very well.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Is it time for goodbye?
Is it time for farewell?
Time to part ways?
No smiles anymore
No glances across the room
No pleasure in company
Going through the motions
Maintaining the facade
Nods and smiles and happy faces
While reality lies hidden
Locked safely away
Maybe it's time to let go?
Time to move on?
Is it already time for goodbye?

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Some lessons are so difficult to learn that they need to be taught multiple times. And every time it hurts more and cuts deeper just so that the lesson stays, is remembered. But fools that we are, every time the cut begins to heal, we forget and it is time for another lesson.

We forget that some people aren't worth the pain they cause. We forget that some things should be hidden. We forget that we need to choose what we say to which people. We forget that we need to keep the mask on. We give our trust easily and suffer. We forget that it isn't easy to forgive. We forget that it's easier to walk away than to stay.

Life has a lot of lessons to teach us. And we learn and try to remember. Because after all, there is nothing more we can do.