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I Feel Them All

People have asked why I openly grieve the loss of celebrities. This is why.

By Jonathan ApolloPublished 7 days ago 1 min read
I Feel Them All
Photo by Joshua Sukoff on Unsplash

Woke up to the news of another entertainer gone

Another piece of the history, my history; now officially a part of history

Today also marks the anniversary of the loss of a legend

Michael. Sweet Michael.

15 years, but it still feels like yesterday

I’ve never forgotten the sadness of that moment

And I’ll never forget the pain of this moment

I feel them all, just as I always have

Michael. Seth, a.k.a. Shifty. Whitney. Selena. Aaron. Lucille. Thomas Mikal. Prince. Betty Wright. Betty White.

Figments of yesterday and our day, all parts of this life – our lives.

The music. The laughter. The legends. The idols.

The ones gone too soon. The ones who had more to give.

We grew up with these people, through memory or the memory of others

They gave us inspiration

Gave us smiles

Gave us reasons to hold tight to the treasures of life

Music. Laughter. Dance. Connection. Love.

We forget how important these things are

How artists and art help to keep them close

Keep us close. Keep us connected.

We are all connected. We forget that sometimes, too.

And because of this, I mourn. I allow myself to grieve.

Those I didn’t know, but knew better than most.

Life goes on. History updates… but we’re still here.

Don’t ignore the sadness. Don’t mock the mournful.

Feel them. Feel them all.

We’re all we’ve got.

social commentaryFree Versecelebrities

About the Creator

Jonathan Apollo

I bang my keyboard and words come out. It's what I do. 40-something, M, NYC. He/Him/His. #TPWK

Twitter/X & Facebook: @JonnyAWrites

Buy Me A Coffee (if you're feeling inclined): https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jonnyawrites

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Comments (5)

  • J. Delaney-Howe6 days ago

    Great piece. Whitney was a tough one for me, Prince too.

  • Lily Séjor6 days ago

    "History updates" is just so clever and so true.

  • S.K. Wilson6 days ago

    Still remember the week we lost Alan Rickman and David Bowie - I was inconsolable at work those days ... and Robin Williams will always hurt. "For whom the bell tolls, It tolls for thee." We should feel and grieve all that go. As you so brilliantly put, "We're all we've got."

  • Andrea Corwin 7 days ago

    TOTALLY agree! We grew up with them and then...they are gone...and we are sad. And a few years later, I say either, "h/she is dead now," or, "didn't s/he die?" So many passed and sometimes I think to myself 'they decided to check out of this crazy place.'

  • That last line is so potent. We hold each other in our joy and grief.

Jonathan ApolloWritten by Jonathan Apollo

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