In 12 measly hours a lot can change,
The end of the world, birth, or death,
Now in that order, the latter don’t matter
As much as the first,
You can just ignore hunger, pain, or thirst,
The lasting urge after despair is pleasure,
You don’t waste breath to reassure,
You simply try your best
To ignore the hardship of the rest.
But we have more than 12 hours, more than hundreds and thousands,
More than leaps and bounds of them
To care for each other
To set aside the flesh for a moment
And learn the pleasure of companionship
The lovely warmth of giving aid,
The gift of giving what can’t be repaid,
So imagine what 12 hours can bring,
Or even one,
If you feel now and how you think
Are all that’s in the balance.
-Melisa Im
[Image: “12 sec” protected by a Creative Commons license belonging to Peter]
Illustrated by Meli 