Who Hasn’t?

A lot of things, of late, have become crushing concrete realities. The scenarios we, like many, have previously discussed in the abstract, now have definite form. They are at once awkward and unwieldy, confining and suffocating. They have sharp angles designed to catch a person unawares and inflict the maximum pain with the minimum of contact. They are blunt instruments that threaten the state of consciousness and instil a fear of vicious assault. A mugging for all that you hold dear.

Some of these forms appear to have a degree of pliability. Perhaps enough to raise the prospect of more room to manoeuvre. The truth is quite different. Any pliability is self-serving. The shifts and changes establish themselves to securely block off any avenues of promise. An uncompromising foot jammed in the door. A muscular arm barring the way.

In those quiet shared moments when stars are aligned and life could be no better, who hasn’t tried to imagine how things would look if it all ended tomorrow? Who hasn’t considered the many permutations? Who hasn’t concluded that such disruption is too distant to be a credible threat? Who hasn’t rolled over, turned out the light, and fallen into a contented slumber?