pleasure and placebo

The journey is long and hard; any shortcut will cut you short. One friend sees the world in you and alas, the world does not see you as a friend. Although the void that is my insecurity is filled by the security of their warm tone, strangers are not as quick to warm up to our smiles. Selling my wares on the open market proves to be a hefty lesson in humility. One person means one opinion, circling around my mind. What's accepted as universal truth is truly unfounded to the outside world. If the precious miracle we share is commodified and packaged in neatly symmetrical boxes sold for mass consumption, it's no surprise it's often imitated, rarely replicated. Attempts to achieve its storied potency are futile; it's only synthesized by the late night joyrides and rooftop epiphanies. A tight embrace as the wardens call off their dogs, carrying each other's broken bodies to the top of the mountain. Nothing beats the real thing.