Sometimes
bones get stronger
after breaking.
Sometimes
a pain
will leave you better prepared
for the world to come.
Sometimes
bad lessons are necessary.

The horrors of history
become building blocks
for the next big thing,
whatever it may be.

World War Two
was followed by decades
of political progress.
The fall of Constantinople
begat the Renaissance.
Genghis Khan
bound all of Eurasia together
under his bloody hooves.
The Dark Ages
had its own technological advancements
though fuck if I can remember what.

The past can provide
thousands of incidents of awful
but they all have passed
and things continue
to improve.
It’s been that way forever
and will continue
unless we seers and prognosticators
are wrong about this, too.