—
I.
I. Need. More. Hugs.
And guess what… so do you.
Let me explain
This isn’t about being touchy feely
Unmasculine, whiny or needy
This feeling has almost always existed within me
One that transcends loneliness or needing affection
A more significant sentiment that upon exhausting introspection
And a larger collection
Of observed experiences
Connects us all
And when I say US
I mean YOU as well
Those who feel it rising like a molten swell
It’s cosmic yet familiar
Deeply existential and still wholly unclear
The world today
And the lives we lead within it
No matter how you spin it
Are in fact, full of possibility
And while I spend my share of time
Ping-ponging around the realm of whelm
From over to under
And stress pulls my brain asunder
What I know beyond all else
Is what we’re missing is touch
We’ve become out of touch
Because I need more hugs
And so do you
For far as we’ve traveled
And all that we can do
The greatest (most mysterious) distance we know
Is still the one
Between me and you
II.
We don’t give enough hugs.
I don’t and neither do you.
But this wasn’t always true.
In the beginning, we were nestled so tight
Literally part of someone else before we first saw light
Held dear
Kept that way for three-fourths of a year
Subsequently hatched then hugged by everyone around us
They cradled our tiny bodies through laughter and fuss
and then
One day
It stopped
Things get in the way
Namely puberty
Followed by insecurity
And whatever ridiculous rules adulthood brings
It’s all fear
And minus rare instance
Hugging is an irregular occurrence
An act merely to mark our absence
An acknowledgment that we are no longer gone
It’s not enough
Even as we pursue our lives online
Recording the mundane
And making it divine
Legions seeking digital reward
We vlog our lives, we push record
Chasing if not hugs than some sort of connection
That will validate us, heat our souls with tech convection
Below the surface
Those needs that want
Beg to be held
Soulfully paralyzed
not frozen
but rusted
Forgetful of when we trusted
that arms extended guaranteed reciprocation
Because I don’t give enough hugs
And most likely you’re like me
We stand on the precipice bound by inertia
III.
We MUST hug more.
You. Me. All of us.
I’m not talking about those half-assed hugs
You know the ones I speak of
Ensnared in somebody’s noodle arms
Like hugging spaghetti
Side shoulders pressed together
Or both shoulders touching as our butts flee
All of it an exercise in sterility
As we pat each other cautiously
Coaxing up some kind of emotional burp
Hug and let your hearts touch
And if for you that’s too much
Remember it’s only for a moment
And moments are taken more than they’re given
And that’s reason enough to give in
To hold and be held
To face the love we all need but don’t embrace
As we embrace our roles, filters, and technology
Embracing all readily…
Except each other
We need 4 hugs a day to survive
8 to maintain
and 12 to grow
And by now you know
We are all dying
So engage in the symphony of a shared palpitation
Use your shoulders as agents of affection
Erase the emptiness that lies beside your heart
As you start
To hug the ones close to you and those less so
And know
How it feels to change every moment you’re given.
For the better.
—
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