Finding Levity in Tragedy

By Michael L. Craver

Tragedy is a bottomless spring defined individually. Folks can drown in shallow waters. Furthermore, the provocative abyss we experience via the unexpected has every advantage to beat us. Unwanted exploration which may exhaust us past the point of no return. 

Folks tread these waters with dark humor and vices. A range of wicked purification trying to propel themselves above the gloomy clouds. Eating to pass the time. Drinking until misguided in one’s own haze. Constant loathing as if a man’s mind was a city under siege.

My flotation device masks me as a charlatan. Looking in quirky directions, so that you’ll wonder what I am distracted by. The point is to throw off the listener. Pausing to mix-up the cadence so that any audience second guesses if they’re paying attention. Perhaps conjuring something silly out my subconscious lottery.

Whether directly affected by something ugly or aiding and abetting another in their ascension to refill their lungs, there is opportunity. Not so much to be a lighthouse from afar. A chance to play guardian in their hour of struggle. Hands on help in the wake of life.

Everyone must hydrate their lives publicly or privately. In my metaphor the water table is a level for survival. Something awful drags us under, but we all possess the human spirit to sway and flail until all hope is lost.

There are times people will fail. They’ll be short of surfacing to refresh themselves with new air. They will drown their sorrows in their own addictions. Not everything can be prevented.

These are cycles that happen as we place value on the various aspects of life. Losing a relationship, a loved one, perhaps being taken advantage of. Attempting to bounce back to the surface in a lifelong competition to live.

Against time and exhaustion, we have the ability to help one another. Looking them in the eye with reassurance. Letting go only when necessary. Doing our best to hold on through the aftershocks of despair.

Perhaps my ability to distract someone has a place in these times. Overtly confusing with mannerisms and words woven away from the pain. A new pattern, maybe even, a life raft.

Storms test the buoyancy of us all. We may tread on open water. One can fall into their well. Resting our feet on the bottom is rarely an option. An ultimate descent through unfortunate times brings greater pressure. New stages. Our most difficult obstacles. 

Though the levees hold only so long. The human spirit can overcome their faults. Adapting to alleviate the pressure. Beyond addiction and vice, we put the past behind us. A lengthy courtship with demons inside and out.

To break the monotony of these times I find there’s two ways to lose focus. One increases of depth, bringing us closer to mortality. And the other enriches our spirit. We forget to breathe. Holding onto that air just a while.

Unbeknownst to the affected, a rescue is taking place. Together they are solving the riddles of life’s perils. Lost in these moments they rise…forgetting the struggle. Breaking through and unaware they’ve found levity in tragedy.

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