Seawater spread across acres of land, washing away the blissful faces.
Smiles became obsolete.
Laughter became unknown.
Radiance lost its source of light.

I stand among swarms of anxious souls waiting to be found.
And yet, my body felt alone—it was free to saunter and search for hope.

A peal of voices, obscured by the city’s chaos, wanted to make its way unto my unwelcoming ears.
I ran away, attempting to avoid this horrid noise.
Ran, ran, ran,
Until my breath caught up with my lungs.

I was engulfed, unable to escape.
I sank lower than a criminal’s pride.

The penetration of reality, the acknowledgement beyond man’s joyful illusion
Was my own ending.

For everything was gone—it suddenly vaporized and disappeared in front of my own eyes.

It was cruel how the world can neglect us according to its own will.

The optimism infused in my every cartilage was dissipated.
It perished with me, within me, into the merciless earth.