It seems to be an inherent part of human existence
To think with heads and not hearts
Allowing emotions to run high, teetering along a fence
With disregard for the (essential) other parts.
What is a feeling if not an accumulation of emotion—
Pain and heartbreak, joy, love, elation,
Mixing and molding—forming an image as whole as the ocean
From which, the seeds of this very life are born.
Under the oppressive weight of absent self-worth
The mind stutters to make meaning of words—events.
Coffee drinking in sunny shops reveals existential mirth
Until it boils over and what?
We the people will one day recognize that what we feel
Is more often than not commonly shared between Us.
Even in the darkest recesses of our minds
Where no one but our own souls venture,
There is an invisible crowd pushing at the door
To be let in. At the first glimpse of misery,
Or depression, or the floodwater tears that won’t turn off,
We must believe that we are not alone.
And with the tick tick tick of the second hand,
The human soul is healed.
Laura Stasi is a writer and artist currently living in Vermont. She finds inspiration and joy in her travels and adventures in the natural world. Follow her work on feathersandtracks.com or on Instagram @feathersandtracks.
