Against the Grain

Weekly prompt: January Reflections

Thank you for reading my interpretation of this week’s thought-provoking prompts. I really liked all the other renditions on this week’s theme. I sincerely hope that my poems will inspire you all, as well.

Time Heals All Wounds: inaccuracy Monday: Cliches: inaccuracy or accuracy that churns the stomach

No, it doesn’t. Healing is a conscious process not dependent on outside factors. Pain doesn’t come with a limited time warranty. Loss of something precious will always be painful.

Casual reference about the loss will hurt like hell. New connections and the idea of moving on will hurt like hell. Energy to keep up the pretense will hurt like hell. Effort to forget the pain will hurt like hell.

Smiling through tears keeps the painful emotions under control. Cheerfulness exhausts the overwhelming eruption of emotions. Calm exterior pacifies the urge to break down. Passing of time only makes the heart grow fonder of the pain.

Ninety percent Authentic Wednesday: in what way are you authentic? Why?

Authenticity makes one transparent and predictable. Expressing true feelings and thoughts makes one vulnerable. Sharing experiences with honesty makes others uncomfortable. No one is interested in heart-to-heart unless it’s newsworthy.

Changing opinions to please others, one loses the trust of others. Believing the slanderer is abysmal, one could be the next target. Tolerating egotistical behaviour; done that to maintain a semblance of peace. Ignoring the anxious calls from the conscience, done that to keep up the pretense.

Ninety percent of the authenticity has been a bliss. It has thinned the glamourous crowds, leaving some undervalued gems. Ninety percent of the time, authenticity had come to the rescue when hard decisions had to be made. Authenticity lets one have a peaceful life, not necessarily a successful* one.

Being authentic makes us lose opportunities that would have involved compromising our ideals or viewpoints.

Getting off the High Horse Friday: In what ways are you hypocritical? Do you break your own rules of conduct? Hold others to a higher standard than you hold yourself?

Not being hypocritical creates problems. Transparency jeopardizes relationships. Standards have to be adjusted according to the circumstances. Who cares about high standards if one ends up unsuccessful?

Life choices shouldn’t be based on weird standards. Fate hands us situations that need questionable solutions. We have to fudge the truth or change to survive. It’s okay to compromise once in a while.

Heavens won’t fall down. Honesty isn’t always the best policy. Holding standards is prudent but can be problematic. Life is so random that our self-proclaimed notions of being right sound ridiculous.

© Fatima Imam

Thank you 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘊. for including my poems in your publication and your incredible contribution to add wisdom to your ongoing quest for knowledge through these weekly prompts.❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Here’s her post: