Laugh

By Frankie Mayor

A word of advice: go for a walk

and breathe in the darkness of the world;

laugh at it.

Laugh at the mean words

and angry looks

because honestly,

who has the time for anger?

Laugh at their impatience

because time is a social construct,

something humans invented for their own peace of mind.

Laugh,

because it’s the best medicine.

Laugh, because.

Just, because.

Laugh until laughing loses its meaning,

like when you repeat a word one too many times

and you start to wonder if it's really spelled that way,

it feels like it's changed but you don’t know how

or why.

Laugh at that feeling.

Laugh because otherwise you might dissolve into a puddle of tears

and give in to that phantom pain in your chest.

Laugh at the state of the world,

don’t ponder it.

Don’t wonder if the world future generations are going to walk in 

will be a fiery hellscape,

don’t wonder if the planet’s shortening list of species will be radioactive in a few years,

don’t wonder if the sun will disappear 

behind a haze of smog one day,

don’t wonder if the rabbit hole you’ve fallen down has a landing point 

waiting to spook you,

don’t wonder if the world will spin right off its axis 

and begin to dance with the other planets.

Just laugh.

While there’s still enough oxygen,

enough breathing space

to do it,

just laugh.