Smiles and poses.

A moment stuck

in Time.

Joy and excitement

Captured.

In time,

many photographs are collected.

Landscapes, wefies, selfies.

Some happy, some engulfed in

Melancholy.

Regardless...

Send me the pictures

you took of

Us two.

Because they’re the memories

of

Me and You.

So I’ll never forget those scenes of my life;

And I will relive hose moments when it’s the end of my line.

Perhaps you may visit me,

maybe you never will.

Perhaps some dreams are never meant to come true.

But I’ll wait.

~~~~~

As you grow up,

Innocence will be lost.

Down they go into the oblivion of Void.

If you visit me,

I’ll have nothing more to ask.

When my hair turns white,

and yours remains

Black.

I’ll just have one request.

Live your life without any regrets.

If you need to,

just

Forget.

You can forget me

if

it lessens the pain and hurt.

Let me forever remain a sweet memory,

of

Long, long ago.

In that pure heart.

To cry is to shed tears.

And many shed tears in the dark.

Tears stream down their faces as they lament.

Anguish and regret blurs their eyes.

Others cry with tears welled up in their eyes.

No, don’t cry, don’t cry, I will not cry,

but in their hearts tears have already been shed.

They sit in a corner,

watching others fawn over the weepers,

and wonder,

“Oh, why not I?”

Friends are people who betray you and make fun of you.

But they never fail to notice when you cry.

They are the

Ones,

who quietly say,

stand at your shoulder,

and

whisper in your ear.

“It’s okay.”

And you know,

it’s all that needs to be said.

Sometimes we try to catch the reflection of the moon in the water;

Needless to say, it doesn’t work.

Sometimes we just do our work with intense fervor;

Contrary to our expectations,

Nothing happens.

Nothing.

We scream,

shout

and

writhe.

Why the agony of living in this world?

Nothing happens here.

You ask yourself.

“Why toil for a lifetime?”

But no answer is heard.

Again, nothing.

Nothingness;

Oblivion;

Void.

Falling into the depths

of darkness.

Inescapable darkness.

You hear nothing

see

nothing,

feel nothing.

And we just decide to leave this world of endless

Pain.

But

as there are exceptions to everything,

there is an

Exception

to this.

Some people just

keep crawling even when they are knocked flat onto the ground.

Others ridicule them as worms but they ignore it.

They crawl on their knees even when they don’t have the strength to go on anymore

and

continue living in relish of this unforgiving world.

To find their purposes,

to find their dreams.

To fulfill their purposes

and

to try again

and again

and again.

Catching the moon in the water.

“Courage is not having the strength to go on; It is going on even when you do not have the strength.” ~Theodore Roosevelt

Courage

or

Folly?

You tell me.

I was backed up against a wall, haggard breaths forming mist in front of my mouth. Still, I tried desperately to move back, in some hope that the wall behind might just give way. My fists pounded on the wall behind me, using every bit of oxygen I had inside me to scream, once, “Let me out! I swear! LET ME OUT!”

The footsteps came closer towards me as my legs threatened to give out. I skittered left and right in hopes of getting further away from the sound. Though, no matter where I moved, they were still around me.

“No, no, no! Is this a trick? If it is, it’s not funny. So not funny,” my teeth chattered as my mouth struggled to form the words.

But deep inside, I knew. This was an abandoned warehouse. The name spoke for it. No one had been inside in a long, long time.

The footsteps were only a meter away from me, now. I strained my eyes to make out several figures of different shape and sizes through the meager ray of light shining through the ceiling boards.

Around me, were faceless creatures, walking in a mechanical manner, one foot in front of the other. My heart palpitated quicker as they came closer, and yet closer again.

They were all foreign, something that no one had ever seen before. But I knew what they were.

That was my last thought as I was buried under the pile of bodies, struggling for breath. Blacking out.

Grandpa was right. I shouldn’t have come here. 

I should have believed him. 

They were alive. 

“It can’t be. No, this must be wrong.”

The glint in our eyes told him otherwise.

At that moment, all blood drained from his face as it become stark white, pallid and something in him just broke. He let out a howl like a cornered animal and began dashing off into the woods, as far as his malnourished body could carry him.

Without a moment’s hesitation, we gave chase.

Footsteps thundered on the soil as we kicked up leaves and dust chasing Justin. His figure was the only thing we saw. The only thing in our impoverished corneas. The sound of broken twigs rang out all around Justin.

Closer, closer and closer.

He must have heard it, for he pushed himself to run faster.

Justin’s ragged breaths echoed in our ears. His leg hit a rock and the momentum sent him tumbling forward.

By the time he hit the ground, we were all there. No command was given, just instinct. 

We surrounded him and he was caught. He was slowly succumbing to his inevitable fate.

And a piercing howl reverberated throughout the woods.

~~~~~

I looked around the gathered circle of sunken eyes and pallid skin, each face home to a drooling mouth made grotesque with hunger, eyes alive with yearning as the acrid smell of searing meat wafted from the fiery embers.

The food was cooked.

Weeks on an island, stranded did something to us. It made us insane. For food.

Ravenous hands reached out as the prepared flesh was passed out to each member of our ragtag group of survivors. The insanity in their eyes shone as they grasped the meat as if it were their lives.

I passed a charred slice to my young daughter and grimaced as she hastily tore into it, juices from each bite greasing her lips and chin.

But I took my time, savoring the intense, smoky flavor of great piquancy, letting the

morsels dissolve in my mouth and explode across my tongue.

All we could think was food.

It might have been wrong, but it was delicious. Absolutely delicious.

Sorry Justin.

Pangs of guilt had replaced our pangs of hunger after we had devoured our meal.

It wasn’t that we disliked Justin, it was just that he drew the shortest straw.

Even when the moon rises high in the sky,

I won’t ever forget you.

Your smiles. your laughter,

your frowns, your flustered stutters.

Sometimes I wonder why our tears only flow down when we close our eyes.

I think

It’s because when we close our eyes,

we have given up.

And when we do not,

we face our troubles with unwavering strength and courage.

As I will continue into the future remembering you.

~~~~~

The sun has risen.

The beginning of all things.

As the first time I met you.

You were perfect.

You are perfect.

You will forever be perfect.

Three words that hang in the air,

I’m sure you know what I want to say.

You think it’s cute the way I whimper in my sleep, moving my paws as if I’m running.

You think I’m dreaming of chasing rabbits, or squirrels, or cats.

If only you knew that I wasn’t chasing anything and they aren’t dreams.

They’re nightmares.

~~~~~

You think it’s funny the way I sit by the window, staring intently through the glass.

You think it’s rude how I push past you to make sure I’m the first one through the door when we go outside.

If only you could see the evils lurking just beyond your front door, we’d probably never go outside at all.

~~~~~

You think I’m needy, always trying to be as close to you as possible.

You think I’m lazy when I sleep all day.

If only you could see how I watch over you when you sleep, making sure you’re safe from harm and keeping the monsters at bay.

~~~~~

But, I think it’s worth it when I see you wake up every morning, tired but ready to take on another day.

I think it’s payment enough when you pat my head, rub my belly and call me a good dog.

I think its worth it, because of you.

I’ll happily protect you forever, for that is my job. But I will never live as long as you.

And, my biggest fear is what will happen to you when I’m gone.

I sat on the bridge, my legs hanging off the side. A piece of paper clenched in my hand.

It was a nice, breezy day. The sky was a deep blue, cloudless and beautiful. I had come to this bridge every day. The days slowly passing, with me on the same bridge in that same spot.

I looked down at the deep blue sea under me. Amazingly calm, wanting to engulf me in the deep waters. I sighed.

Maybe this is the day.

I have repeated this line every day. But today, I was confident.

I flung the paper behind me and stood on the railings of the bridge.

~~~~~

I’ve always wanted to ask someone these questions.

Do you know what it feels like to be abandoned?

To be thrown around? Like someone’s rag doll, with no life?

Do you know what it’s like to love someone?

And to have your heart broken by them?

Do you know what it feels like to want to die?

Every single wretched moment of your life?

I bet you don’t.

And I bet you don’t care.

~~~~~

I closed my eyes. The breeze ruffling my hair and clothes. And, I smiled.

For the first time in years.

Then, I shuffled forwards and lifted my foot. I was ready to let go.

As I tilted forwards, I felt a cold hand grasp my ankle. I spun round, furious.

“What? Go away!” I yelled.

“I do. And, I do,” the girl said. She had hazel, brown hair and amber eyes. The eyes that reached my soul.

“What?” I asked, my voice softened. I was mesmerised.

“I do know these feelings. And, I do care. I really do,” Her lips twisted into a smile as she held up the paper.

I didn’t know what to say.

She let go of my ankle and held up her hand.

I hesitated.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

“Ready for what?”

“For a new life,”

Without a moment’s hesitation, I grabbed her hand.

And that day, was the day that I smiled a second time.