Sunday, May 17, 2015

Hello Angel

 
Hello Angel
It is such an unhappy thing
That the world will never again know
Your beautiful smile
 
 
It is an unfathomable tragedy
That you no longer recognize
The best friend that you knew from the time of his birth
Your brother
 
 
I have to believe
That when your suffering is at an end
The light will shine in your eyes again
That you will be able to remember
And to smile
 
On the day that the Heavens finally say to you
Hello Angel
 
Love,
Cie
 
Prompt Used:
 
Notes:
Re: the top picture
The prompt provides a perfect picture, which may seem incongruous for me to use, given the heavy nature of the poem itself.
My poem's subject seems the sort of person who would have enjoyed the whimsy provided by alphabet soup.
He grew up poor. Foods like alphabet soup tend to be cheap, and kids enjoy them.
He once said that he and his siblings really never considered themselves poor. They just thought that everyone lived like they did.
He ended up becoming extremely wealthy, but I'm quite sure that he would trade it all just to know what was happening once again.
I don't care if people get tired of seeing the following graphic or hearing about this person. I'm going to keep sharing and talking about it, because it is so very necessary to understand how much we need to research the diseases that cause dementia so that we can stop them--reverse them--eradicate them. So that no more bright, good people will have their lives destroyed in this way.
 
 
My friend Dolly believes that the suffering he is enduring has the capacity to teach people who are willing to open their minds and hearts. His compassionate nature was always a lesson for others. Simply by being who he was, he was a teacher. So I can see this being true, although I'm still deeply saddened and angered that one who always tried to be kind ended up suffering so greatly.
Dolly wrote a poem about why she considers Malcolm Young to be a Bodhisattva. It is worth reading.
 
If anyone has some sort of asshat comment about his unfortunate addiction to tobacco, keep that shit to yourself. He successfully rehabilitated from alcohol addiction in 1988 and never again touched a drop of the hard stuff. That's damn commendable.
Cigarettes are a notoriously hard habit to break free from. People who have quit using heroin have said that quitting smoking cigarettes is even harder. Often it is impossible.
Commercial cigarettes have chemicals above and beyond nicotine added to the tobacco. They are made to hook smokers and keep them hooked.
I smoked for 20 years, so I'm not about to get on my high horse. Truth is, I'd still love a smoke. I quit in 2006. I still think about it often and wish I could fire one up. It's hard not to go back. However, I wasn't as addicted as some people become.
Everyone's body is different. Everyone's brain chemistry is different. No one has the right to harshly judge another's weaknesses.

Thursday, May 14, 2015

Photoshop Creation: The Beginning of the End

The Beginning of the End
version 6
by
Cie

My Hero Looks Like This



You say this isn't what a hero looks like
You say he's too small and skinny
You say his face is too haggard

I say you have no idea what a hero actually is
When you are only judging
The book by its cover

His bravery in the face of unfathomable horror astounds me
He never complained when he discovered that he would lose himself
He only seemed to think of how others would be affected

I never realized how weary he looked until recently
How exhausting it must have been to try and remember
More and more each day, as more of himself was lost

It was said that he never knew where he was during his last tour
And now he remembers none of that at all
He is now weak and frail and all but lost, but he is still a hero to me

I have never seen anyone face such a terrible diagnosis
With such courage and dignity
Heroes don't always come in the form of a chiseled Adonis with flowing golden locks and perfect teeth

Sometimes heroes are fragile, elfin creatures
Who boldly face any challenger
Including the one they know will destroy them utterly
Without complaint or thought for themselves

This tiny, haggard man is my hero
And always will be
I hope I will meet him on the other side
So I can thank him for being just what he was

Love,
Cie

Prompt used: