WRITTEN BY DEANNE F. SY
WRITTEN BY CHRISTINE ELORIAGA
“Don’t let go of me and I won’t let go of you. Hold onto me and life we will push through. Trust me with your life, hold on to my hand, Because I trust you until the death of this land.” Such stupid thoughts of an innocent mind; Too blind to see the truth, too selfless and kind. I stand up for you, allowing you to be happy, But you let me suffer, and you saw it as beauty.
He rarely actually comes. But when he does, I’d tell him that I hate speaking, and he knows I hate being around one too many people. But at the same time, being with him, Bravery, actually feels comforting — as if a man could do whatever he wishes, as long as he is brave enough to do it — and maybe that is why I am too scared to have him. It may be because I am afraid of my own sentiments, or simply because I cannot. “You are as free as you allow yourself to be,” is what Bravery always says to me. There is no greater escape in your chaotic mind than letting yourself think that you are Brave. For as long as you know that you are with him, there must be nothing you will fail to do. He rarely visits, and my mind is often dithered by the things I cannot do. I need him here with me, perhaps in a waiting room while I wait for test results, or maybe just in the crowd while I deliver a speech. My hands often tremble, but with Bravery, it is as if anything can become a walk in the park. There are so many things I cannot do, so many things I want to say but cannot, so many things I want to be better at, but simply do not know where to start. But he helps me in everything that I do. He makes me feel like I have nothing to fear, like I have to do everything today because there will no longer be a tomorrow, like this world is a world full of potential.
Use me for your joy, use me for your entertainment, And the fool in me says: you have my full consent. I followed the breadcrumbs of the path you lured me in, But when I finally see the truth, all I want to do is flee. I am lost to the truth, and I am hurting. I was brought up with sadness, with a single pain and counting. I am mad at myself for being a fool, So stupid and innocent in a world this cruel. Can I just erase you? Can I just forget you? It would hurt less than if I were to hate you. The memories we made, were all of it true? Or was it a byproduct of the actual you? “Please let go of me and I will let you go. Hold on to life, and your happiness will follow. Trust someone else, not I who had found another. I’m sorry for everything, I’m sorry for each other.”
So, I thank Bravery for making me want to live my life better, for making me feel calm, for making me feel like there must be nothing I cannot do and achieve as long as I have him by my side. Do not fret, for he — who is brave — is free.
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LITERARY
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