Hope

I feel as though I've been teetering on the edge of a cliff, brewing with dark energy, and someone has pushed me, and not a single person is willing to break the fall.

It's difficult, I know, to console a friend after someone has left them. It's impossible to know what to say. They tell me we weren't right, that they never liked him anyway, that I'll find someone else. And then they stop talking altogether, as if they've choked on their awkward stuttering. His picture rests face-down on my shelf. His friends delight in my heartbreak, "liking" the Facebook break-up, sending cruel messages that warn me never to talk to him again, and even mutual friends, taking it upon themselves to let me know that they "won't be there for me."

I feel as though I'm endlessly falling. Please, dear readers, when a friend needs you, no matter how painful it may be, reach out to them. Do not, please, do not leave them alone, do not ignore them. We, all of us, seek comfort from others, in human contact, in hearing words of comfort, in knowing we are loved.

With puffy eyes and shattered soul, I Google the words running through my head, waiting to be faintly amused by the gargled nonsense the web chooses to spit back at me. Mindless clicking eventually sends me to Wikipedia's page on the definition of boyfriend. I scroll around, not really reading, and one of the pictures catches my eye.

Two men lie on a couch, and the caption is simple. A man with his boyfriend. The article mentions nothing about gay or straight relationships. It is simple, and gender neutral. For some reason, I find hope in this. I find hope in a future for love and acceptance. There is hope for love, all love.

And my heart's hurting fades, just a little bit.