The Unclad Soul

And the day came when the reign ended, wiping away all our sadness, our sins, our sullen moods, and we felt the darkness lift.  We saw others, not as objects, not as enemies, not as opposites, but people, human beings with dreams in their hearts and love in their eyes.  We felt again. We listened. We understood. And it was no longer a battle to live together. The bitterness we had eaten, like rotten fruit that spoiled inside us, we wanted no more.  The mean words, the nasty names, the harsh thoughts, waned in weakness and gave way to something stronger, something solidly kind, something sane, level-headed, and curative.  We laughed again. Stout, robust laughter that made us throw our heads back and suck deep breaths of hilarity until our jaws hurt and tears rolled down our faces.  Our eyes, blurred by the strain of prejudice, anger, resentment, and the stubbornness of our cemented opinions and beliefs, were opened and cleared and we were dazzled by what we saw.  Our government was no l