Fragile

A while back, I wrote about how there are times when it’s easy to find the words, and understanding the world around me is simple. But sometimes, the world feels too heavy and the feelings too complicated, and I can’t make sense of any of it.

These past few days fell into the latter category. As I watched the news of the chaos at the Capitol, my emotions – sadness, anger, disbelief – took center stage. They demanded my attention and froze the parts of my brain where the recognition of what is happening connects with here’s what it means and then here’s how to move forward. So, I gave myself permission to simply absorb the events and move through the days, trusting that at some point, there’d be a thaw.

This morning, I woke up with an earworm of Sting’s song, Fragile. It’s funny how the mind processes things even when we don’t realize it’s doing so.

If blood will flow when flesh and steel are one
Drying in the color of the evening sun
Tomorrow’s rain will wash the stains away
But something in our minds will always stay
Perhaps this final act was meant
To clinch a lifetime’s argument
That nothing comes from violence and nothing ever could
For all those born beneath an angry star
Lest we forget how fragile we are

On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from a star, like tears from a star
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are
How fragile we are

Here’s to picking up the pieces and moving forward. Here’s to starting once more in this fragile world.