Many of us can relate to the childhood game of musical chairs. The objective of the game is to find a seat among the chairs laid out in the room before the music finishes. The loser of the game is left standing and excluded from other rounds of the game.
No one wants to be the loser left standing, of course. Feeling excluded or ostracized is shattering, troubling, and for want of a better description, unjust.
The big question: How do we respond when others leave us standing? Try to empathize with the situation – perhaps others left us out unintentionally. Remember that it’s alright to feel hurt because all feelings are valid. And then it’s time to nurse the heart – set boundaries within which we can heal.
Enjoy this sonnet.
Musical chairs, simple, fun
A raucous childhood game
None wants to stand when it is done
Have ‘left out’ to his name
Musical chairs, coveted seats
Not enough for all
When one stands, one does weep
Must know why, yet still stand tall
Musical chairs, with sharp edges,
Cut the heart when one will stand
Remember to acknowlege wedges
Allow the heart to mend
Musical chairs, a game that’s fun
None should stand when day is done.
The Getting Literal Writing Alcove 