Lament! Poem by Robert Edgar Burns

It’s so hard for me to believe that in just the course of one small week a human being can go from the greatest cloud nine emotional high of his life, one which he never knew was possible, full of joy, love, and happiness, to the deepest pits of hell and depression, of his life. Just like the fun of skydiving is a great and exhilarating experience, until you realize the parachute just isn’t going to open, so is euphoric love as it crashes into the earth below.

Where the joy of life had returned to the place it had long since departed, bringing with it hope and a reason to go on, is now once again the void of the great depression and the longing for the Angel Of Death who hovers over me daily, reaching for my hand, and as I reach to take his hand, he pulls away for some unknown reason. At long last it seems my Earthly sufferings are about to be a distant memory in the new life to come, and I am thrust back into a world of disease, pain, and sadness and broken hearts.

My strength is depleted from a once proud fighter who never gave up a fight or challenge in my life, including the diseases which now have a death grip on me, to a man who can fight back no more and just wants to surrender and go to sleep, eternal sleep.

I am ready to lay down my pen and paper, the things that kept my mind occupied for the past year, because I realize what futility and vanity they have been, and have only clouded my mind so as not to see the reality of the inevitable. The things I write will not change the course of the world, or even have meaning to even one persons life and I shall soon be forgotten. Just another meaningless life lived. Wasted space and air that someone else could be using and doing a much better job at it than I.

So I stand ready oh mysterious angel for you to stop your incessant teasing and latch hold of my hand for real and usher me out of this dark theater called my life!

Then I awoke from this bad dream!
It seemed real but you know what I mean?
I threw open the curtains and shades,
No longer wanting to visit Hades.
So if still contemplating my Lament--
It went!