The Relative Theory of Forever
It might be that beautiful radiant winter day filled with the laughter and love of everyone you hold dear. And it might be the process of healing from a broken heart. On days when you spend forever with your friends, your sisters, your lovers, you find yourself lost in time and she'll tell you we've been here forever, but forever never seemed that long. And Granny, who's nearly ninety, has been here forever, but for her, forever seems too long. Because the lovers on the park bench, they, too, have been there forever in this present state of being'together.
And forever never seems as long as people make it out to be. Because for me, forever never lasted long enough, and for them, forever always lasted too long. And together, we wish that we could transfer forever to those who need it most. But forever chooses you, and chooses to come too son, or too late, or not at all. And always there is this feeling of dissatisfaction, of regret, of dislike, of shame, for not taking forever when it was there.
Still, forever lurks in your closet, waiting, conversing with your skeletons and monsters. Perhaps they're plotting for the most perfect moment to jump out and surprise you, leaving your deepest fears exposed. Or maybe forever reads your diary while you're asleep and decides to make all your dreams last as long as possible; that dream house in Florida with that picture perfect view, that special someone who was born specifically for you, to be with you.
And forever has always been relative. And it always seems that the most desirable moments never last too long. The beautiful sun, its golden rays showering you with nothing but the purest warmth. Those golden rays keeping the clouds at bay because there's no time for rain. And there's a BBQ at cousin Keith's luxurious house. Everything you could ever dream of laid out before you. But the picture of perfection never lasts forever and it never will.
Because forever, for me, only lasted a year and a half, but his grief is sure to last a lifetime. Because you thought forever was forty-six minutes, but for them it was forty-six hours and the pain that they endured will surely last forty-six years. Because forever has always been relative and maybe because forever is the time that it takes to melt the snow on the North Pole, or the time it takes you to walk down the school hallway after you slept with that teacher. Because forever could still be the time it takes us to find life on other planets, or the time it takes for your father to come back home; the time t takes for him to say 'I love you.' Forever could still be the time it takes for your lips to touch before that innocent first kiss. Or maybe the time it takes you to realize that everyone was always talking about you behind your back. Because forever just might be the time it takes to heal.
Because forever, for me, only lasted a year and a half, but his forever is sure to last a lifetime. Because forever is a relative state of being. And those colors my be vivid for only forever, but forever might not last a lifetime because forever only lasted five years; and on the dawn of the sixth year, you might forget everything you've ever remembered and it'll seem like those memories were forever about, but forever has only been twenty minutes.
So how do we define the undefinable, that which cannot be defined? Is there some kid of equation that will help us determine forever? Or will forever always be a year and a half for me, but a life time for him, and will forever always hide in your closet, conversing with your skeletons and your monsters or maybe read your dreams while you sleep? And will the lovers on the park bench still be here forever, and will forever still be the process of healing from a broken hear? But forever will always be relative, because it is the relative theory of forever and forever never lasts as long as people say it does.
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