The Light

The crackling of the lights keeps her up at night as she wonders where it all went wrong. How she ended up in this empty bed - watching, as the boy with the broken leg gets wheeled to freedom, escaping this coffin of missed opportunities - all alone. Listening to the dripping of the IV filling her up and cleansing her soul. “How selfish,” they’d say, walking in white down the hall, “Could you leave your family like that?” They did not know she could only rely on none other but herself - whether near or far or beyond. And knowing this, she couldn’t look them in the eye as they walked past. It was as if all her efforts to escape from the darkness just brought her closer to it - torn between walking into the light or running away from the night.