George Shot Lennie

When George shot Lennie
Loneliness ensued,
As it is with all of us when we
Lose something close,
Lover, friend, dog, fish, dream.
Closeness to an object or an idea
Resists easy abandonment.
We cling to them like
Bad habits,
Unable to shirk,
Unwilling to release.
Memories, etched and ingrained,
Holding on no matter what,
Because we know instinctively
That a part of ourselves
Fades, crumbles, disintegrates
When a connection, good or bad,
Snaps.
Goodbye old friend, we mutter.
Adios my ball, my chain, my enemy, my tether.
Then welcome a quiet acquaintance,
And wonder how to survive without the
Remnant of spirited companionship.

© Poem Fix http://www.poemfix.com 2012
Photo: Image Entertainment, Of Mice and Men, Lon Chaney Jr. and Burgess Meredith