Concessions for the twisted

We all know that person; the one who stood out in the crowd because he just didn't belong. I don't understand his tribe. Their language is vague and offensive, their mannerisms are awkward and alarming and their nervous energy is far from charming. They always smile when they see you, but they mayn’t see you at all. They may walk right past you as though possessed by a far more interesting phenomenon. They may talk to themselves or not talk at all. They won’t look you in the eye too long since they are guarding the secrets of their inconsequential existence. Their lives are grainy pictures. Some of them- we call artists, some of them- stars, the rest of them-we couldn't care less who they are.

I would tell you the story of these invisible people, but they matter too little. The best stories are the ones that are about you- where you can identify with the trials and tribulations of the protagonist. These people are little more than whispers in the woods and shadows on the wall that fill the trivial seconds of transition between the monumental moments of our lives. If you had the opportunity to know this awkward breed I don’t know if you’ll like what you get. It’s disturbing how they compare disappointment to a blood-stained reflection in a shattered mirror. As you appreciate a glorious sunrise, they see the hazy silhouette of the inevitable sunset. They suggest that the shadow of death is our only constant companion. They know they invite judgment and yet they persist.

I hope that you have figured out by now that I’m not talking about serial killers, individuals with a penchant for biting off bat-heads or any Emo boy or girl. The twisted lead far less glamorous lives. Is it a quest for a non-existent spotlight that drives these people? Do they revel in the ostracization that they receive- sometimes mild sometimes unkind? Maybe it’s both of the above. Maybe it’s neither. It’s a little disconcerting, but no-one will lose any sleep over it.

Have you had a belief so strong that it caused you physical pain if you tried to contain it too long, a dream that was so vivid in your head that words and sketches could never do justice, and that made you feel like you would implode if you didn’t shape it into reality? The twisted live their lives constantly experiencing this overwhelming emotion giving them their nervous energy. They see the same world that we do, but they see it differently. They are consumed by their vices as much as we are consumed by our virtues. They know they may never belong, but many will try all the same. An average life is a miserable life, no doubt. But the life of the twisted is painful, beautiful, enriching and impoverishing all at once. It’s a living contradiction. 

Of course I have no way of knowing this. Or do I?