My Cabinet Files
My cabinet files have their backs against the wall, defending the correspondence they enclose. Against them stands the unseen enemy who, nevertheless, can be felt pressing upon the cabinet from all sides. What a struggle. The walls of the files stand fast, the unseen pressure on them relentless, which forces the walls to their rigid, upright position.
What can be inside those files that are in such peril? What, indeed. It would seem to be nothing but air, if one looks around for the cause, the pressure it brings to bear upon those files. Air, indeed! And yet, who knows what is in air that could bean enemy of that correspondence through the years? What could air gain by destroying the precious papers at its will? What are in those papers that incite air to such violence? And if so, what would it accomplish? Would it rid itself of its own faults? Would it be made that much happier or more sane in its dealings with others? Who can say and yet to think that air is the cause of that pressure, with those pitiful, brave cabinets lined up against the wall in their last ditch fight to preserve themselves and their charge. It makes one think of the unfairness of life.
What if those letters are to lovers or from lovers? What if those letters contain secrets that could clear the air or bring man to perfection or create a new paradise or start a campaign to wipe out all evil? How then could air profit from its destruction of the files, and, heaven forbid, the letters too? The end is in sight, then, if air would have its way. We must struggle against it even as we breathe it in to sustain our lives: to be alive and to be unhappy about it, yet preserve ourselves at all costs amidst such unhappiness and struggle to be free of air.
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Page(s) 9-10
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