Beyond the mascarade of time

Beyond the mascarade of time
men and women like subtle addictions...
trigger invisible wounds. Like a
scab that loses the dried over skin
before its time, blood oozes.
How fragile the flesh beneath the
surface.

As we recover the fallen petals
we regain the stability of a healing mind.
The fragrance of a newly grown heart requires
periods of pardon to heal.
Patience. Perserverence. Practice. The 3
P's that people can press like buttons
jammed and forgotten, setting off our
internal sirens like a burglar alarm.

Knee-jerk reaction, we stumble believing
"they" have hurt us. They serve as our
saviors as the salt that reminds us of
the unseen sore.  They are the salt that
can heal the deeper wounds by pointing
the way to forgiveness.

Unaware, our psyche waits like a wolverine
in the white of winter, just below the
surface of conscious awareness. The right
trigger acts like a sharp hook, a shiney new lure
that pulls us into the undertow.

Unsuspecting and most times unprepared, we're
caught in the fierce undercurrent without the
foresight to see the red flags, the twisted
red tail-feathers used as bait to hook us into
the winds of turbulent memories.

We react. Blood fills our vision. Blinded.
Filled with rage, seeking revenge, feverishly
we attempt to close off, shut down the pain
before the injury can fester and drain.

Rancid and putrefying it will drag us back into
the abysss of suffering: subtle addiction that
requires allowing ourselves to feel into the
accompanying feelings, to face the fears that
our masks and pretenses over-ride leaving us
in the morass of judgment, blame and guilt.

In the cauldron of fear, shame and guilt we
stew brewing robust emotions. Years of tears
and rancid fears carry us away like a parasite
uses it hosts unbeknowst, relentlessly draining
us of life.  Running us while we think that
we're in "control."

Beneath the surface the ego: the parasite
waits, always there just below running
a sub-terranean fever.  With awareness
determination and willingness we can rise
above the boneyard of the past, find sanity
and peace as we discover the fierce enemy
within posing as our friend.