Ghost Rider

“The things he chose to leave behind were sorrows of the past”~
A Line from the poem “The Race” written by Terrance L Thomas circa 1991.

I HATE GHOSTS.

No, I’m not talking about the kinds of ghosts that occupy your typical horror movie or quack job’s fantasy; I am talking about the ghosts that occupy our mental space and emotional sphere. I am talking about the kinds of ghosts that find strength and solace in our memories.

Indeed I hate ghosts.

I think that is why I’ve spent my days battling ghosts. I find them troublesome and rude. I think they occupy too much time. They hold back progress. Ghosts in effect suck. My best friend thinks it’s a futile effort to battle them, but not me. I see this as a natural progress in our growth.

I.hate.ghosts.

I’ve gone up against plenty of ghosts in my day, some easy to beat other which have beaten me, but somehow I’ve always managed to walk away. Indeed, I hate ghosts.

For the first time in a while I’m ready to truly love again, to truly be happy and do the damn thing. I am smiling. I think this is truly “it”. Yet before I can move forward I have to battle one more time against a ghost I’ve never battled before, for this ghost is not just any ole phantom but rather one with a legacy and institution.

And how do you fight those things?

I’ve always argued that politics and relationships are really the same thing. Consider how hard it must be for a man like Obama to come after a man like Bush. The expectations are so high it has got to kill him. Or think of what it was like for Truman who came after Roosevelt, a President so popular he was elected 4 times. Those ghosts ran amuck. I know they are running amok now.

And this is where I am, coming behind a flawed and failed institution, trying to build a new one. Yet those ghosts occupy my hallway. They are like a suffocating cloud invading my every breath. They are problematic.

I was told that I shouldn’t worry about my predecessors, as we each are different. I was told that will only prevent me from doing my job, and complicate matters. I don’t see it like that though, because only be overcoming the past can I move into the future.

I hate Ghosts. I hate battling them. I hate they are here.

But if I don’t vanquish them…who will.

Straight No Chaser,
TLT

11-24-2008
3:15pm