Broken

One of my close friends has recently found himself at the lonely end of an unrequited romance.

"How do you get over it?" he asked me.

"Well," I said, "With about a dozen sad love songs, some comfort food, and the occasional one night stand. Y’know, the same as the real thing."

There are no magical cures for a broken heart, the same as there are no instant cures for a broken leg. You have to set it and let time do its thing.

The same is true of that crush - that relationship that only really exists in our fertile and romantic imaginations. It's in the haven of our minds that we find the man or woman of our dreams. They cannot otherwise exist. We project this fantasy on other, mostly unsuspecting, persons and we fill our days listening to beautiful, inspiring love songs. We familiarize ourselves with their comings and goings and adjust our own to follow suit.

"Wounded Cupid" by Lovey appears courtesy of the Open Clip Art Library (www.openclipart.org)

Eventually, events unfold that return us to the realization that we are the only member of this duo with any real emotion invested in the relationship. We are reminded what a wonderful “friend” we are. We notice that he or she is attracted to everything we are not. We meet the significant other. We understand that they will not or cannot return our emotions. We deem this love "unrequited" because the word sounds as hopeless and harsh as it feels. The hurt is valid because the love we feel is valid and the fact that it is not flowing in both directions does not make it any less so.

So, we light candles. We sing along to sad songs. We write poetry.

When a lonely heart is broken

And a smile no longer shines,

The laughter slowly dies

And the fervor melts inside.

When the moment is suddenly broken,

And all dreams are set askew,

My soul turns shades of blue

And my tears burn silent for you.

Then life is set asunder

And the day no longer fades,

But it shatters like a crystal,

And the shards bring tears of pain.

When a lonely heart is broken,

Yet no one seems to care,

I'll cry about my broken heart,

And broken hearts everywhere.

Eventually, we move on.

Cheers,

-Ceddy

The poem "Broken" is from I Wear The Colour Green