people everywhere
drawn to the macabre
the odd
images of death

we fear
the unknown
death is
the unknown

gloomy grisly
ghastly images
are our interpretation
of the unknown

so we seek them out
yearn to search
for knowledge we do not have
discover and explore
that which we have never seen

and so
we confront our fears
a primal need
an instinct too great to ignore

but it is not real
does not mean anything

we use Halloween
scare ourselves silly
with ghouls and apparitions

but it is safe fear
artificial fear

so we inflate
our self confidence
self worth
pride
by facing that which
we fear most
the unknown
but we face no real
danger

we scare ourselves
disgust ourselves
appall ourselves
to satisfy needs we did not
know we had

all in the name of
courage
exploration
knowledge

and yet
we find
once we have faced
these fears

and stared down
the odd
the macabre
the images of death

that they are artificial
fake
a mockery of that pain
we all endure

and we endure that pain
and find out
that which we discover
we never wanted to know

but we return to the images
of the unknown
and the cycle
repeats

and why?
why do we continue
that which hurts us most?

because
we are human

and we will continue

to heal ourselves
by that which hurts
to discover the unknown
by our own inventions
to dull our fear
by scaring ourselves

because
we are human