I love this week’s Shi Sai ReVerse poem! It tells such a story.

Once upon a time there was such a thing as decorum, civility and grace. People had manners and treated others with respect; but no more. Now anything goes. We are insulated from the consequences of our meanness because we can release the dark side of our souls in posts and tweets and voice messages. What was once whispered in private is now broadcast around the world never to be erased, taken back or atoned for.

I am the first to say that I miss the days when we were nicer to each other. But there is a part of me that is grateful for our recent fall from grace.

Just because we didn’t speak our minds back in the day, doesn’t mean that those ugly things didn’t exist. We just hid them better. The recent divide that has torn my country down the middle has been rumbling under the surface for a long time. Back in the day before we lost our filters, people seemed friendlier, more respectful and tolerant. But those things were just skin deep.

While it’s shocking to see our true selves erupt, it also brings things out into the open, where we can deal with the fear, lack of empathy and downright hatefulness. It is true I have lost friends and family members in the past year. But I am coming to terms with the reality that these people who were nice to my face were not really my friends after all.

So yes, I am grateful. My life is enriched all the more by relationships built on trust. And when I miss those who are no longer part of my circle, I remind myself that I only miss the illusion of what we had. How can you miss something that never was?

Have a great week. Be true to you and yours in this brave new world we live in where authenticity is a priceless treasure. Peace!

Shi Sai Sunday’s Week in ReVerse – 30 July 2017

if only we’d lingered,
forever bound
basking in warm memories
to create lives worth living
because actions speak louder
heaven bending near
getting nowhere very fast
with a spot of rouge
I laughed it off at the time as crazy
heartless fools can’t see
pie is all about the crust, honey
suspended, graceful,
in the here and now
dance with me my love
poison devouring us
the world grows restless

~kat

A shi sai or ReVerse poem is a summary poem with a single line lifted from each entry of a collection of work over a particular timeframe and re-penned in chronological order as a new poem. Unlike a collaborative poem, the shi sai features the words of one writer, providing a glimpse into their thoughts over time. I use it as a review of the previous week.