Addicted To The Pain..
They hold on because it’s easier than letting go..
Love was lost before it was ever found..
They fell victim to self-hate and confused it for love..
Love isn’t pain and pain isn’t love..
They aren’t in love; they’re just addicted to the pain..
I saw this poem on Instagram and after about 30 seconds of staring at the words, then rereading them, and eventually, meditating on how this message was specific to me, I had to put pen to paper and share my thoughts. What is the pain the author is referring to in the title, Addicted To The Pain? The interesting thing about the title is the subject where one would assume is the main ingredient of the message “addicted.” But, what does it mean to be addicted? In order to be addicted, you must first be an addict, meaning you are devoting or surrendering (oneself) to something habitually or obsessively. If you are an addict, you can become addicted, meaning you cannot stop the act of what you are doing once you have already succumbed to the specific thing. To have an addiction, you then have a compulsive need for and use of something that is habit-forming. Are you an addict, addicted to the addiction?
When you look at the title from a grammar and usage perspective, the article “the,” placing it in front of the noun pain, indicates a definite description of the word. So, in my opinion the author stating “The Pain,” is indicating there is a specific pain being referred to in his message. The implication is they are addicts surrendering themselves to a compulsive need to feel pain. That is a strong observation. And where is the origin of the pain?
I believe, the pain, the feelings of inferiority, sometimes worthlessness, and mediocrity do not come from situations we’ve placed upon self. I am a black woman. When I think about the past, my history, I wonder if the pain is from the cries of Black life--uprooted, broken, beaten, tattered and torn.
