Sadness keeps me company

Sadness keeps me company

I go to greet him

Like Simon and Garfunkel

Hello darkness my old friend

He has been around since the beginning

He can be a He or a She

He is always there waiting with you

Even when joy embraces you

Even if you are too busy

And you see him waiting

In the peripheries.

A meme has gone around the internet

It is a cartoon that has a busy stick man

Doing lots of things, running around

With the refrain, ‘don't let the existential dread set in’

This is the modern day mantra.

But the thing is that the existential dread,

Comes with our friend Sadness

And we can’t just make him disappear

So offer him a cup of tea, a glass of milk

Best to avoid the wine

Because as much as you try to blur him

Or numb yourself

He will be there the next day

Lying closer to you

But remember, he won’t hurt you

Unless you let him

So sit with him

Now and again

Keep him company

The bond is mutual

He is cumbersome but harmless

His cold embraces uncomfortable

But he has been there forever

And he shall never leave

And without him

You would not feel the

Drum nor the leap

Of your soul

When you are back in the world

The human touch that

Hits your centre

And all the colours you cannot name

They wouldn’t exist

Or be particularly noticeable

If sadness didn’t come and eclipse

Them now and again

With his wan moon face

And he will always be there

And you won’t always be lonely

If you don’t know what loneliness is

So think of this

Next time that you try

Not to let

the existential dread set in.