the key to the matter

There is a growing movement which attaches locks to bridges and other structures, symbolising affection and commitment. I find them odd as they speak to me more of imprisonment and being shackled.
For many, life feels a bit like it has trapped them, they see themselves in a dark room, locked away with no access to a key.
The imprisonment might be caused by bad memories, legacy issues, mental ill health, bullying, lack of power or a feeling of being inadequate.

While we can often, albeit unwittingly contribute to the imprisonment of others, by reinforcing perceptions of inadequacy, so too can we be gatekeepers and locksmiths. I am never sure how to assist my friends in those dark places but trying to understand their issues, listening to their concerns, or, by simply being there, just might open the door to a new possibility.
So, locks are made to be opened, we simply need to use the keys!


A reflection by one who suffers

People assume you aren’t sick
unless they see the sickness on your skin
like scars forming a map of all the ways you’re hurting.

My heart is a prison of Have you tried?s
Have you tried exercising? Have you tried eating better?
Have you tried not being sad, not being sick?
Have you tried being more like me?
Have you tried shutting up?

Yes, I have tried. Yes, I am still trying,
and yes, I am still sick.

Sometimes monsters are invisible, and
sometimes demons attack you from the inside.
Just because you cannot see the claws and the teeth
does not mean they aren’t ripping through me.
Pain does not need to be seen to be felt.

Telling me there is no problem
won’t solve the problem.

This is not how miracles are born.
This is not how sickness works.”
― Emm Roy, The First Step