MAY 25
There is no question of getting beyond it. The little boat
enters the dark fearful gulf and our only cry is to es-
cape—“put me on land again.” But it’s useless. Nobody
listens. The shadowy figure rows on. One ought to sit still
and uncover one’s eyes.
—KATHERINE MANSFIELDPerhaps we try to escape.
If we do not speak of it...
If we drink ourselves into numbness...
If we submerge ourselves in work so we don’t have time
to dwell on it...
If we sleep, we will forget...
But our silence shouts to us. Drugs will destroy us. At the
end of the harried workday we look in the mirror and see
our despair. And when we escape into sleep—we have to
face the truth all over again when we wake up.
Years ago I was riding on a ferris wheel with my daughter
and, being fearful of heights and imagining all kinds of acci-
dents, I covered my eyes with my hands.
She would have none of it. “Open your eyes, Mom!” she
called.
I did, and it wasn’t so scary after all.
Better to open our eyes and face our loss. It will cost less in the
long run.