Culture and psychology have all the answers to malaise and melancholy, right? Figuring out the mysteries of life and love are easy, right? Bumper-sticker slogans and positive-thinking memes strike chords in us, so we share them in affirmation, but we mistake that for internalizing and practicing their wisdom…
“The problem is all inside your head”, [they say] to me
“The answer is easy if you take it logically
I’d like to help you in your struggle to be free
There must be fifty ways to leave your [sadness]”
[They say], “it’s really not my habit to intrude
Furthermore, I hope my meaning won’t be lost or misconstrued
But I’ll repeat myself at the risk of being crude
There must be fifty ways…”
[They say], “it grieves me so to see you in such pain
I wish there was something I could do to make you smile again”
I said, “I appreciate that and would you please explain
About the fifty ways”
[They say], “why don’t we both just sleep on it tonight?
And I believe in the morning you’ll begin to see the light”
And then [they coddle me] me and I realized [they] probably [were] right
There must be fifty ways to leave your [intuition and ideals and Self, and conform unquestioningly to cultural conditioning]
You just slip out the back, Jack
Make a new plan, Stan
You don’t need to be coy, Roy
Just get yourself free
Hop on the bus, Gus
You don’t need to discuss much
Just drop off the key, Lee
And get yourself free
Neil D. 2020-03-18
Feel with Neil 