Happy Holidays (It Hurts)

At the end of a rather tumultuous year - it seems like they've all been tumultuous for some time, hence the cliche - it feels as though the advanced economic and political polarization of the country has permeated every aspect of society; in daily realities its palpability is undeniable. It oozes out of every relation as a constant hurt, and one looks tenderly over the growing gaps that are set to become yawning gulfs. And the holiday season, with its pulling together of far-flung relationships into proximate spaces, casts this reality in a starking light.