An interesting thing happens
When close to death
When a person sometimes is the most bereft
You see it in pictures of children
Laughing amid the ruins of war
Of people smiling and hugging
While covered in scars
The brain does interesting things
In the aftermath
In the midst of a bloodbath
It isn't always a rictus grin
Though sometimes the smile
Looks like some sort of weird sin
A person where all the walls have come down
Loses the barriers to both joy and pain
They don't hide emotions behind walls of shame
Life is wide open and like a raw wound
Joy can weep along with tears
I wonder though
Does it last through the years?
Or do the nightmares that creep up in safety
Erode the desperate joy and gaiety
Does the reality of everyday life
Bring a feeling of piety
From the desperate energy of survival from strife?
So if you see someone who is overly joyous
If their laughter is too raucous
Know that behind that heavy laughter
There might be a deep sorrow
A cavern beneath the joyful banter.
©Vivian Keller 2018
8
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2 comments
Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.The pains a soldier must bear to ease the suffering everywhere. Have to wonder when we as a human race will evolve beyond the pettiness of selfishness. Transcendent Rune
azzow2
Level 9
May 3, 2018
1
Too many children are treated as a possession, instead of raised with tenderness and care. Adult hoarders and takers are just hungry infants who never grew up.
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