After the Fall

 Blogtober post 4:

Fun Fact: Did you know that in Giza, Egypt there’s a city named 6^th of October? There’s also an elevated highway in Cairo named the 6^th October Bridge. These were named after a war which broke out between the Israelis and allied Egypt and Syria in 1973. The Yom-Kippur War aka Ramadan War aka October War aka Arab-Israeli War was fought from 6^th to 25^th October. Yom Kippur is a widely observed day of rest, fasting, and prayer in Judaism, which in 1973 also occurred during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. What was the cause of the war? This is where the history lesson ends. I beg, go and find out if you’re interested. This was just by the way; I was only asking if you knew.

Okay, now to the matter.

Today I want to share a poem that I wrote somewhere last year. Some of you may have seen it, but largely, it’s unseen. 

I mentioned in my first Blogtober post that I'll be posting some poems and mini-poems, and that I'll give a bit of background when I do.

So if you don’t know this already, the poems I write can be very personal; some about me or about persons close to me. This is an example of the former. 

How do you grieve for the absence of something that was never really there?

How do you weep over the loss of something that was never really yours?

 

You may not know how,

and it may not seem like it now

but slowly, step by heart-wrenching step, 

It. Will. Get. Better.

 

Like a mother lovingly holds her fallen toddler learning how to walk,

I will cradle my heart in my arms, and say to her, as I nurse my wounds

"Hush, baby, it's going to be okay."

"It is only by falling that you learn to rise."

 

Long story short, I met someone new that I really liked, I thought it was mutual but now I don’t know if it was (maybe I never will, doesn’t matter now), and I got hurt.

A few lessons learnt that I will share with you:

1. Define relationships. Then you know where you stand and things don’t come as a surprise.

2. Listen to your instincts; they’re there for a reason. Question the questionable.

3. Two heads are better than one. It’s good to be private, but it’s okay to seek guided, trusted counsel.

4. Whatever you decide to do, make sure it’s something you really want to do. And have fun while at it. Then even when it goes left, you know that at least it was something you really did want and at least you tried. And maybe it will reduce the feeling of remorse that comes when things don’t work/go the way we want.

5. A bad experience is still an experience. Pick yourself up, learn from it and move on.

6. Don’t get blinded by your bad experience and make generalizations. Not everyone is going to hurt you. Or you’ll miss your healing even when it kisses you in the face.

7. Talk oo tom (I’m shaking a table that I’m already on with this one)! Communicate. Express yourself na even doctors ask for symptoms. How do people know what’s bugging you if you don’t say anything?

So which ones resonates with you? And what important lesson(s) have you learnt from a previous bad experience? Share with us in the comment section.

To conclude, this was an experience that I don’t regret. I’ve got some positive things from it and at the very least, I’m entertaining you with this piece (I hope) as I share, so there! It's a win-win.