It Is Truly Sad

The Pain of Others

It is truly sad,
how so many people around me
look even sadder than I do.

My own life sometimes feels heavy,
like a thick bundle of tangled thread,
hard to hold, hard to loosen.

Yet somehow,
their lives seem even harder than mine.

At times, I want to look away,
because I myself feel so sorrowful.
And still,
there are neighbours
who seem even more broken than I am.

While praying,
I sometimes stop.
While wiping away my tears,
I begin to pray again.
Life is never whole,
and I wonder why it hurts so much.

Sometimes I feel lost,
because there is nothing I can do.
My heart grows cold with helplessness.

There are people stronger than me,
wiser than me,
more beautiful in spirit.
They are so resilient
that they end up comforting me.
In the middle of many hardships,
each one blooms in their own way.

Beaten by storms,
they still rise again.
These are my neighbours.
And today,
once more,
I see them, they are beautiful.

*these are my own paintings *