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Delayed Reactions

After the hammer slams down on your thumb
or the hurtful word penetrated,
a stunned moment follows.

You're like a soldier who feels no pain until he sees the wound.

Happiness, too, is sometimes slow to register.

It was years after the rain haf sent
me and the girl huddled close to me dashing for cover
that I sudddenly felt the drops.

-Sherman Pearl