Refraction

In the ruin of 2020,
life shattered –
streets that once bustled,
now phantom,
ringing with the wail of sirens,
the weight of loneliness pushing down,
every breath a hint at what we lost.

Masks hid not only faces,
but the touch of an embrace,
conversations now murmurs from afar,
friendships frayed,
intimacy drowned out in screen static.
eyes aching with anticipation of the real.  

Days merged into a haze, 
time was stretched thin –
anxiety curled tight around my chest, 
fingers grasping 
at the frayed edges of sanity, 
as the world outside kept up its spinnings, 
relaxedly unaware of chaos within. 

Now, in the stagger into the light, 
I look back upon the rubble,
The hollowed-out places in my heart, 
The quiet desperation that echoes 
Through empty spaces 
Of what once felt normal. 

And yet, 
here we stand, 
In the aftermath – 
The cracks a testament 
to survival, 
Where resilience blooms, 
Fragile but fierce, 
Pushing through the remnants of despair. 

We learn to breathe again, 
To find joy in the mundane,
to celebrate the small triumphs –
a shared laugh, held hands, 
the sweetness of freedom, 
the tang of memory, both bitter and sweet. 

But in this new world, 
we wear our scars like badges of battle, 
reminders of what we have endured, 
and though it may seem like the world
will never be the same, 
we are here, 
beating hearts, 
reaching out for contact, 
to love again, to heal –
and find the beauty in our shared vulnerability.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2024

Poem

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Ahmed Avatar
November 28, 2024 at 8:57 PM
The feeling of that time is captured in great poetic skill. Loved reading it. "we wear our scars like badges of battle, " - such a beautiful line you have crafted, many others too. Best wishes.
Tilley Avatar
November 27, 2024 at 5:49 PM
“The cracks a testament to survival, Where resilience blooms, Fragile but fierce, Pushing through the remnants of despair.” This really hits. The way everything felt shattered, but somehow we still kept going and found moments to breathe, laugh, and connect again. Very well done!
West Avatar
November 27, 2024 at 5:50 PM
Thank you … and thank you for reading another one of my poems, youre very kind.
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