Palliative Relief

Past remedies for a double heart:
Chocolate ice cream, or better yet, butter pecan
Revenge affairs and crying, nay, sobbing at the betrayal
Screaming into a pillow (loudly)
Screaming into the air (silently)
Disturbing tranquility and causing a scene
Do note that cackling with maniacal laughter is no catharsis
Consult your physician before dispensing these treatments
In many cases they only provide palliative relief

Past remedies for a broken heart:
Staring forlorn into space for hours on end
Mum's comfort soup and a long cry
Kleenex (two-pack), and apathy
Dark rooms and music (blues preferably)
Curating a heartbreak playlist
Revising the heartbreak playlist
A book in times past, a poetic trifle is recommended
A b-movie - suitably mindless, you can't get too invested
Social media these days - fashions change, gossip is cleansing
Long walks, solitude, communing with nature
Short runs, working out, lots of company
Copious amounts of alcohol - religion permitting
Wistful perusal of letters and photos (moderate quantities for greater effectiveness)
Inventory of digital artifacts featuring the loved one
Making lists, revising lists, tearing them up and starting again
A night out with old friends or siblings
Revisiting old haunts, macabre and weighted with meaning
Rebound flings in extremis, calling up exes
Booty calls and, if necessary, meaningless sex
(Always practice safe sex in such circumstances
Caveat emptor, you do not want to add to your predicament)
Truth in advertising notice, the label is indeed accurate:
Meaningless, and only providing palliative relief

Past remedies for a grieving heart:
There are none, pursuant to the laws of grief
Experiments confirm the lack of even a placebo effect
Patient advisory on sorrow: there is only palliative relief



After: And wilt though leave me thus? by Sir Thomas Wyatt

Heartbreak, a playlist

I have curated many a heartbreak playlist in my time, I am built that way - my go-to of late is Meshell NdegeOcello's Bitter album, or parts of Portishead's Dummy album if I want to be cinematic, or anything by Cesária Évora. Still, for the purposes of devising a soundtrack to this note, here's a literal heartbreak playlist, your mileage might vary (spotify version)

• You're Breaking my heart by Otis Rush
• Heartbreak Hotel by The Jacksons
• Tuesday Heartbreak by Stevie Wonder
• Heartbreaker by Dionne Warwick
• How can you mend a broken heart by Al Green
• Unbreak my Heart by Toni Braxton
• Heartbreaker by Alice Russell
• I'll never let you break my heart by Lyn Collins
• Heartbreaker by Ray Charles
• N.E. Heartbreak by New Edition
• Don't break my heart by UB40
• Somewhat Loved (There you go breakin' my heart) by Jam & Lewis and Mariah Carey
• Breakin' my Heart by Mint Condition
• Don't Go Breaking my Heart by Sergio Mendes
• Heart breaking Decision by Meli'sa Morgan
• A Broken Heart Can Mend by Alexander O'Neal
  Ever the optimist, Alex believes there is more than palliative relief

File under: humour, life, culture, observation, loss, perception, grief, betrayal, poetry, toli

Writing log: September 9, 2022