Some words come easy
To people only looking in,
“Come on, just move on,” they say,
Sometimes with a grin.
Or, “Time to forget it, now,
It cannot be undone,”
Or, “You will have to live with it
For some time to come.”
When we don’t feel the pinch
Our words are flowery and tart
And we wonder why some behave
As though it is so dark.
“So, you had a divorce,
So, what? Life must go on,
And the sooner the better for you,
So be forewarned!”
“You have lost a leg,
Think of the man without any,
He would settle for your one leg
Instead of all his money.”
He who feels it knows
It is more than just here-say,
And like the three that visited Job,
Being judges was their way.
They judged the situation
So that Job had to be wrong,
And given their lack of information
They proved wrong and strong.
“Get over it, man!”
And this comes as a rebuke,
It’s like, “Are you prepared to brood
And just wallow in your puke?”
“Who else did you invite
To your pity party besides me?
I really don’t have time for this,
And I hope you can see.”
“Get over it, man,”
From those that say they care,
“Just one tiny, little knockdown
And life becomes your fear!”
But it is all right, you know,
When the shoe is on another’s foot
And your shoe is fitting snugly
Bringing you lots of luck.
It is then easy to say,
“Get over it,” and “Move on,”
Until you experience your nightmare
And into similar you are drawn.
Then you will understand
What it really and truly means
To go through extreme hardship
And hope it was a dream.
Healing takes time:
Different lengths for different folk
And we shouldn’t treat another’s experience
As though it were a joke.
A pity party is not the answer
And neither a matter-of- fact retort
But share a life experience where possible
And in all circumstances exhort.
In brotherly love, the Bible says,
And not in a condescending way
Bearing in mind, my Christian friend,
Ours could be the next day.
Stewart Russell © March 1, 2023
