September
sad as
i ever was
sad as the leaves
that fall from the trees
in September
sad as the ground
that takes the box and lowers it down
leaving a widow in the world
an orphan, too
sad as the man who had to sell
all his land – all 250 acres of it
sad as his wife, too
who had to sell away her home
where she raised her baby up and had to let her go …
sad as Rearden alone in the woods
with no way out
sad as your beloved dog dying
your cat
the baby bird that fell outta its nest
the baby squirrel, too
the wedding day that ended in divorce
the reporter that died in a helicopter crash
covering a fatal vehicular crash
the college student that graduated three years ago
and still can’t find work
the homeless that never intended to be
homeless
but the rent was too high and the pay was too low
how losing a job has become the norm like having three has,
too
how the Pandemic turned the world upside-down and inside-out and round-and-round
and left it lost and lonely
how you can’t help those
who refuse to help themselves
how the weak won’t survive … especially in a nursing home
how if people all around the world
truly loved themselves
and cared about themselves
and wanted the best for themselves
and never gave up on themselves
or tried to escape themselves
or make excuses for themselves
…
the world would be
so much better –
each person tending their own garden
with care and consideration
like the late great Whitney Houston once sang
“Learning to love yourself …
it is the greatest Love
of all”
TL