Emptiness- a poem by Javed Alam

Emptiness

When you carry the sack 
of your emptiness in your heart, 
and make desperate attempts 
to fill your stabbing void:

you end up mixing 
with the wrong people,
in wrong places, in wrong beds, 
around the wrong tables; 

you start ignoring 
setting healthy boundaries 
in your interactions;
you start drinking, 

smoking, buying, 
the wrong stuff
for the ephemeral pleasures; 
you start carrying 

the ghosts of your past 
into your every interaction.
Until you realise you are falling 
into a deeper abyss,

filled with the guilt, with the shame;
and someone nudges you 
to go into your own-self 
and explore your inner world; 

until you find a bigger purpose, 
work persistently 
towards your goals,
learn to regulate your emotions; 

and someone discovers the treasure 
of pearls and rubies 
in the basement 
of your soul; 

until you find a way 
to untie your wings
and fly in the spacious sky 
of a nourishing love;

you will find yourself, repeatedly, failing 
in weaving the delicate bond
of healthy, fulfilling, 
enduring relationships.
(a small poetic attempt to highlight the maladoptive and healthy ways to deal with chronic emptiness)
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