Taken: Part 1

Better to never touch than never be able to let go Suppose that’s how it works, but how would he know? He slowly lifts up his head and opens his eyes To see there’s no life left to live within the scope of this light Here he can see that everyone’s gone, everyone left The shadows give his mind room to play They bring back the ones he needs to feel home To make the beating in his chest hurt a little less Complacency brings the warmth back to his hands Just as they used to be before the cold came to embrace him Hands that held so much, fought so many battles Once had a dream, once served a purpose But now they hang there empty and aching No strength left to fight, but is just as well As there are no more battles left to lose No burdens left to carry, no faces left to leave His shoulders slump too low to hold up his head any longer Corrugated roof finally gives underneath the rain Curses this city and its apathetic elements Automatons with hearts, but still without feeling The bastard children of a father that abandoned them to their own demise He hates them all as they keep walking, uncaring Either a hamburger or a loaded gun would suffice Maybe not; he almost enjoys feeling this unique No one else hurts as much as he does No one else ever had as much to lose as he did Break in concentration; a strangely dressed man throws a card towards him He knows it’s not trash as the man actually looked at him before he threw it “Chance of a lifetime: One game, two resulting prizes.” Ten o’clock and he’s waiting for the door to open Finally, an over-sized man lets him in and shows him where to sit Grateful to be out of the wet, cold alleyway he forgets about the game A man with a deck of cards sits down in front of him Afterward, four other men sit down at the table Players, he assumes...