guilty comfort

 schadenfreude

schadenfreude, 

a German word for taking delight 

in the misfortunes of others,

there's no English word

for this reality of connected thoughts

that speaks to a truth

into which it is easy to fall,

another example of the power of language

to make a reality that was only nebulous before,

those of us speaking English

could already secretly delight in the sufferings of others,

but only schadenfreude expresses

what is at the heart of such feelings,

I have the teams I love and support,

I also have the teams I do not like,

when one of those teams did well yesterday,

I missed the inner delight in their loss,

in their misfortune,

I miss the guilty comfort of my schadenfreude.

by Henry H. Walker

August 30, ‘26