Venturing the World Above

A continuation of The World Above Me, a special collaberation between myself and my good friend Justin Connor 8/17/12 ------------------------------------------------------------------ The shelter opens its door to the world above me Never have I seen so much destruction My eyes get used to the brightness, An unwanted tear trickling down my cheek But once they are accustomed to the light, I want to close them again I feel the urge to turn back But they push me forward, Whispering low, consoling words I look around to see what humanity used to be Before the devastation And I marvel at what the old world used to be But one question remains: Why did people destroy their lives, And end the world we used to know? I walk my feet on the unknown terrain Ruins. . .debris. . .the air placid and still All around is rubbish My mother whispers a prayer from behind And then I wonder. . . If God was ever here As I look around I notice a book Lying there, upon the ashy wreckage I pick it up and read. . . It details a nation’s fight for freedom A large statue of a man is in the building I stand by I stare at the brazen figure in awe The features are crumbling but here it still stands Watching over its obliterated land I squeeze the book in my hand His eyes show loyalty and courage No sadness—not even a speck of fear Looking more outwards I see a tall structure And past that a building with a large dome The architecture of the old world amazes me What wonders men have done—could have done If they hadn’t let each other come undone In violence and death Yet still I wonder how these incredible buildings Could possibly remain after all that has happened Like the buildings, we have survived And hopefully, through lessons learned, We can thrive My father tells everyone to clear away the ruins People even use old machines with cranes The old world is gone But from the ashes we can start anew We were in the shelter for the good of humanity And now, because of us, There is hope