Both long for some other than exists now,
and then vanish when consummated.
Both, in their hearts, contain a tarnished shard
of pessimism which gives them a meaning.
Both are wrapped in a spongey optimism
to protect them from dark life’s toxic barbs.
Both are twin aspects of an endless hell:
one leads you there, one absconds at the gate.
(April 26, 2026)
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