Tags
Buddhism, Christianity, compassion, despair, desperation, emotion, empathy, kindness, loving kindness, Psychology. Sociology
i’m sitting on the sidewalk
as a woman, huddled in a blanket,
a patterned do-rag on her head,
sobs on my shoulder.
i put my arm around her
and say, “it’s okay.”
knowing that nothing is okay,
it will never be okay.
i’m beyond my depth.
i don’t know what to do,
or what to say…
anything that comes to mind
is shallow and meaningless.
this woman’s experiences
are completely foreign to me.
what do I know —
about alcoholism?
about motorcycle gangs?
about sleeping on the streets?
all i can do is let her cry,
tell her that she has forgiveness,
that what saddens her,
what keeps her awake,
or gives her nightmares,
is all in the past.
it’s time to forgive herself
and love herself
and live
in the present moment.
she can’t go on.
she can’t stand the pain.
she can’t do this any more.
drink is the only thing
that numbs her mind;
enough to endure,
enough to pass out at night
and do it all over again
the next day.
i can only do
and say so much.
it’s always a pleasant surprise
to see her sitting on the sidewalk,
knowing that she’s made it
through another night;
that she hasn’t been taken
by violence, sickness
or the police.
i do what i can.
Read about my friends here http://buff.ly/1wyjiKS
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Kindness Blog said:
Love you. Love your blog. Love your writing. Love your ethos. Simple as that.
Best, Mike.
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Dennis Cardiff said:
Thanks, Mike.
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Sharing is Caring said:
Nice post
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Dennis Cardiff said:
Thank you.
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tinatowey said:
You are definitely doing what you can! You are reminding her that she matters and that she is worthy of love and care
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Dennis Cardiff said:
Thank you Tina, even after death she matters and is worthy of love and respect. She is with me always.
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Elle said:
Beautifully expressed.
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Dennis Cardiff said:
Thank you.
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BeeHappee said:
Dennis, I am always amazed and touched by the compassion you feel and express and stories you tell. I had been listening to the Ballad of Ira Hayes recently time and over again and it brings back so many memories of people lost to alcoholism in the former Easter Soviet Union (huge problem), and native peoples of Siberia I saw with amputated limbs, lost to the frost while drunk in the snow. . . Thank you again for your beautiful compassionate heart.
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Dennis Cardiff said:
To see and talk with them is to love them.
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