The Incredible Burden of Everything

Countless people 

Trudging through life 

Staggering beneath a weight 

The incredible burden of everything 

It is the amassed collection of hurts  

A copiousness of sorrows 

A plethora of injustices 

Real or merely perceived 

Every blistering word 

Every hurtful deed 

Every slight, every offense 

Crammed into life’s backpack 

Every person encountered 

Brings back a memory, a weight 

Every detail carried 

Never letting go 

So, onward they trudge 

Swaying beneath shifting weights 

Memories and recollections 

The incredible burden of everything 

Often 

I will find myself 

walking with them 

as a friend or fellow participant 

I can see the fragments 

of our collective brokenness 

falling from overfilled packs 

These packs are heavy 

because we have lived 

and lost 

and endured 

I can see the broken 

glowing faintly 

where healing 

has begun its work 

In time we may learn 

nothing is ever only broken 

nothing is wasted 

no fear 

no fracture 

no burden 

Not even 

the incredible burden 

of everything 

© Ron Simpson Jr.

February 26, 2026