The process

April 13, 2010

Identity is lost.
A catharsis has begun
This sacrifice.
Depth of one’s realization of the
situation at hand.
Insignificant trivialities of a happy falsehood.
The escape: ignorance, naiveté, and denial
seem plausible…
this weight
the burden of life hangs deep in the
pit of the stomach.
No way out.
This prison sentence — responsibility.
Searching for that golden light
at the end of the tunnel.
Seems real.
Forgetting about those things,
those treasures,
those important items
that define who you are.
Your dignity.
Lost forever?
Dive into that dumpster of those lost memories.
Let go.
The time has come to face the harsh truth of reality.
This process, oh this process that never ceases to end.
Hope.
Oh that word, that beautiful word.
Hope.

Samantha Rowe, 18, who graduated from Solomon Schechter Day School of Essex and Union, attends Sarah Lawrence College and is a member of Nu’s teen board.