Cacophony (poem)

Cross-published on Medium. 

They tumble over themselves,  

coming in through the door.

The silence births a manic cacophony.

What a scene! They arrive jostling, 

and shoving, and vying for attention. 

“One at a time, please!”, I cry

“Let us be organized, gentle and calm.

There is time and space for everyone. 

I invite you, my dear friends,  

and acquaintances of long-standing. 

Welcome to my home, do come in.” 

Doubt flashes past me, rudely and abruptly;   

thrusting fear, anger, and envy ahead of her.

She is a hydra, funneling up up malice and hurt,

even as I frantically chop off her serpent heads. 

“Stop! Stop! I cannot deal with this!

This disarray, this confusion!” 

I plaster a smile on my face;  

I am still learning how to entertain.  

Let them come - doubt and fear and anger,  

and envy and malice and hurt. 

The pain you give me, I am grateful for. 

The cold is nothing without the heat; 

the sweet nothing without the bitter. 

And finally, my now-mellow guests, 

they shuffle past in an orderly fashion.

Like a good hostess, I spend time with everyone.

I enquire about their well-being. 

Love, kindness, and empathy were at the back of the line-  

no wonder I hadn’t spotted them. 

We really need to spend more time together.  

“I’ll call you.” I tell them earnestly.

“Let’s meet again soon.”

I take a deep breath, 

and open my eyes.