The corner of pain and happiness

Written by: Chereen

You said that you were done. The agony made you want to change. I knew that I could not push you, and so I stayed near. I said a prayer or two when I thought of you; I prayed that your heart would be cleared.
But nothing seemed to change. I walked laps around you from a distance, only to find that you had unwrapped the wound. You were picking at the pain, making it worse than before. All I could do was show you I was there for you; I wanted you to know that I was near. I backtracked on my journey. I stopped to see how your heart was doing. My fears for you grew, as you distanced yourself from everything that was near.

They wondered what was wrong with you, and why you could not go back to being the one they adored. You suffered from years and years of unhappiness, masked with a face that made everyone believe you were content. And just like that you cracked. Your skin became your enemy, and you knew it was time to shed it. But just like that, you grew comfortable with the painful blisters. The sores and the wounds became something you knew all too well. Happiness became an illusion. You wanted it, but change was something that you feared.

As you stood there at the corner of pain and happiness, a breeze passed through your heart. You looked up in what seemed forever, and you uttered the words that would give you a fresh start. “O Turner of the hearts, turn my heart to your obedience!”

You took a step forward, and then you crossed the street. You were one step closer to happiness. I did not have to walk laps anymore. You were near and so dear. The steps that you were taking were now to revive your heart.