Courageous Survivors By Lin Opgenorth
Dear Suicide, Perhaps I’ve waited too long to address you. Perhaps the pain, inflicted by Loss, and accompanied by Shame, has kept my feelings toward you locked away, and made Silence appear to be my only option. After all, what can I say? Death comes for us all. But the death you inflict is not of the garden variety. It picks clean the bones of those left behind and those you’ve condemned to the grave. So, after 16 years of sorrow, self-searching, weeping, and “what if” longings, I seize my responsibility and verbalize what my heart has hidden. Furthermore, since I have chosen to do so, I accept that I may also speak for others who have suffered at your ruthless hand, and attempt to speak for every mother, father, daughter, son, sibling, grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin, or friend who has felt your dark grip. First and foremost, you are a coward, not an admirable enemy. You are worthy of our attention due only to the vast numbers of lost men and women, unique individuals you have stolen from us. Although the actual number is uncertain, projections place it
at an all-time high. That makes it much easier for you, doesn’t it? You much prefer the quantitative approach to your loathsome vandalism, because numbers don’t have a “cattywampus” smile, or call Mom weekly to hear her laugh, or fall in love with the girl next door, or bear a son we named after a fellow vet we miss and wish to honor. They don’t play frisbee with their godchild or meet up with friends to reminisce over a few beers while revisiting all the laughable crap they pulled in high school. People we value have names and faces. They are not merely statistics. Further, while I’d like to compliment you on your persuasion techniques, I cannot, since you are a liar. You tell the struggling their pain will never subside, but it will. You convince the injured that there is no road leading to recovery, but there is. You tell the lost and lonely nobody cares, but many do. You tell the guilty, “It’s all your fault,” but it’s nobody’s fault. You urge the wounded in spirit to clutch a black, irreversible solution. Clearly, you have no redeemable qualities, only a legacy of deceit, deception, and carnage. Yes,
we’re on to you, Suicide, and that gives us ammunition for your defeat. Dorothy Parker, satirist, and poet, offered a brief examination of your life’s work. It’s your Resume’ and it’s laughable! Razors pain you; Rivers are damp; Acids stain you; And drugs cause cramp. Guns aren’t lawful; Nooses give; Gas smells awful; You might as well live! And live, we shall! We’ll desert our fears, our guilt, our selfquestioning, and we’ll follow our dreams. We’ll strive to explore the unexpected and delve into the positive. We’ll em-brace joy and reach out to others to do the same. Because we know the path you desire for us, Suicide, and we refuse to follow a liar, a thief, and a robber. We choose life, we choose love, we choose camaraderie, and we choose to rejoice in all that it brings because, in the end, life is always worth the struggle. Sincerely, Courageous Survivors
GATHER Veterans – 15
