Bad Things

The worst thing about bad things happening is you aren't prepared for them, usually. Sometimes things come totally out of the blue and completely shock you. They pull you below the surface and hold you hostage for as long as they want. You have no control, because the bad thing is what's in control. You forget what life was like before the bad thing, how happy you were, the things that could make you smile. You forget that things could ever be good and decent because they suddenly feel so horrible that you've forgotten what it means to have a 'good' day. And it's never something you get over in a few days or even a week. It's something that stays with you for months on end, that haunts you, that pops up everywhere you look, that takes every opportunity to look you in the face and say, this is what it's like to feel lonely, and this is what it's like to feel pain. And there's nothing you can do about it.