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A Fantasy of Dusk

It's the first time in a long time
That I haven't gazed at the setting sun
Riding down that winding country road
Wind whipping at my outstretched hand

A road that wound through dead end towns
Filled with life that may or may not know better
A road that meant more to me
Than any other road I traveled those years

Buildings and homes created from stone
All glowing golden under the twilit sky
It didn't seem like a place one could live
But doubtless, some had lived and died there

At one point it represented promise
A biweekly reminder that dreams could be achieved
As it led to a small library
That me and many others grew to know as home

I'd sit in any of the eight seats in the hall
Gazing out at the twilit field that surrounded it
A traffic light glared fiercely back
As an hour passed and four cars went by

At another point it represented hope
A daily reminder that an ancient disease had a cure
As it led to a large hospital
That her and many others grew to know as home

I'd stand at the wooden door that blocked me from her
Gazing out at the bustling town that surrounded it
Headlights glared fiercely back
As half an hour passed as infinite footsteps echoed behind me

I never knew that road under the light of dawn
Nor under the blazing radiance of noon
Simply as the dusky twilight road that led to promise and hope
And under the pitch black cover of night that led back to reality

None of those dreams came to light
The skills I learned at that library amongst peers
I chose to cast away to pursue a new reason
To stare at a computer for the rest of my life

That disease is ancient because it was strong enough
To survive unfettered for millennia
Her time at the hospital meant nothing
As she became my Patient Zero

I still dream about that road
About what seemed to represent infinite promise and possibility
So far away from all of my haunts
There's only one reason to return

To attempt to stretch my arm out again
As the wind caresses and kisses it
As I attempt to reach through time and space
And grab the hands of my younger selves who drove on this same road.

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