Will You Please Think Again
No one’s problem is quite the same, even if it be so in name,
'Cause varying forms and strengths ensure that it won't be quite the same.
Thus complexities within each mind, and within our bodies too,
Come tailor-made in so many ways that make me, me, and not you.
Therefore, what may well be short for you, for another might be long,
And what effects a cure in you, for another could well be wrong.
For many it's a struggle that continually plagues their days,
While for other people, it's nothing more than just a passing phase.
Yes, for some it's just the blues, while for others it’s as dark as night,
Some people seeing a rainbow, others not seeing any light.
Thus treating their experience as if just the same as your own,
Makes their struggle so much harder, and leaves them feeling more alone.
You might think that you have the answer, when in fact, you might be wrong,
'Cause although the tune seems the same, a note or three may not belong.
You see, though an apple's an apple, not all apples taste the same,
And therefore, our opinion is sometimes best kept where it can’t maim.
And should you think that it’s self-pity that's keeping them where they’re at,
They'd be very quick to tell you that their suffering’s not worth that!
Yes, there're always those who think they've the answers to another's woe,
But could they be that very person, soon their words would cease to flow.
And one day it might surprise if that horrid affliction of theirs
Suddenly comes out of nowhere, and in your brighter life appears.
And therefore, it really doesn’t pay to boost another’s aching
By some wrong word or action, thinking that it’s of their own making.
If they were you, it might well be so that some changes could be made,
But as they’re not, please don’t burden them with those things that they can't trade,
Yes, often they would swap (if they could) their life and circumstances,
But such people know that such thinking so, simply just romances.
Yes, it’s true that some people must accept a certain degree of blame
For that sad state that engulfs them, and the troubles that quickly came,
But though that be the case, the consequences can be excessive,
And sometimes the hardness others display, makes their plight progressive.
Many do the best that they can, which is all that any can do,
And although it may be less than you, such you should not misconstrue,
'Cause any wrongful expectations will just fuel their daily pain,
And even cause their steps to falter, or remaining hope to drain.
Although you may not understand, you can still show them that you care,
Via an arm around their shoulder, thus they feeling your presence near.
And sometimes it’s not words they're wanting, but love expressed in motion,
Which often does them far more good, and being the needed potion.
And by the way,
Genuine love isn't selective, and certainly doesn’t feign,
And where frustrated or rejected, its persistence doesn't wane.
So, even when the one that it's helping, it doesn't understand,
It sets aside any misgivings, and just gives them a helping hand.
And remember that the one who’s helped could have others in their care,
And therefore, via aiding them, you may well answer another's prayer.
Yes, life is really just a circle, and a circle has a way
Of blessing those who take the time to help someone who can’t repay.
By Lance Landall
This poem was upgraded on 28 June 2020.