Bad news comes in the form of unexpected communication. A phone call interupting the otherwise normal day. A letter with a strangely familiar return address. An e-mail from someone you haven’t heard from in a while.

It’s that long streak of silence that’s so worrisome. Then suddenly a burst of communication and you want to curl up and cry. Or sigh. Or hang your head and keep asking why. I knew it was coming, too. It was just a matter of time.

I wonder how long we’ll have to deal with it, how long we’ll have to go back and forth, from walking on egg shells, to getting comfortable again, to not hearing anything and then a sudden blow. The distance is getting farther, but the pain is no less. It’s not the same without her.

I know it will probably be like this forever. I’m not being pessimistic, just realistic. It may not always be as extreme, I pray it won’t, but it will always exist. Like an alcoholic, there will always be the danger of relapse. It’s the human condition.

It reminds me of a poem I wrote so long ago, when it was just beginning. A beautiful dandelion, so much potential, and your head’s getting popped. It cuts to the bone.

And all I can write are cryptic ramblings to a unexpecting public. Sorry folks, it’s not all quips and quotes.