We see it pass us
Day by day,
Before our very eyes.

It’s fleeting,
Lasting barely a second,
Yet is also everlasting.

It can burn us,
Consuming our very minds,
Or it can comfort us,
Keeping us warm and protecting us
From the darkness of being alone.

It can’t be seen
But it can blind us,
Making the world appear completely different.

It’s a forbidden practice,
Accepted and practiced by all.
It is the taker of life
And the giver of it.

Gone from our lives,
The world is empty and dead to us.
The bond between family
Strengthens when we suffer its tests.

We are defined by the actions
Of this blessed curse
While it lays waste to our very essence.
Who we are
And who we could be
Are altered in an instance
Of an eternally raging flame.

Three words uttered
By this joyous blight
Have but one way to be said
With a million different meanings.

Whether always in search of it,
Constantly denied of its comfort
Or finally content
With the peace it brings,
This single feeling
Has been,
Is
And always will be
The reason to live
And look forward to life.