Silence invades,
Stifling all thought.
A man stands at the edge
of a chasm, confused,
Alone, lost.
He knows this place.
His body language
Makes it obvious,
But he is searching,
Something is missing.
He sees it, finally.
The burned wreckage
Of what was a bridge.
It collapsed down
To that far away floor.
Vague memories,
Of explosives
Made of words and actions
Come back to him,
He knows where he is
A whispered word,
Half remembered,
Unconsciously leaves his mouth
And floats across,
Echoing.
The word grows louder
As it rebounds
Bringing torturing clarity
To those oft forgotten
Memories.
He hears the word
For the first time
Since it left his mouth.
That terrible word
Brings tears to his eyes.
He reaches up,
Touches his face,
Feels the wetness.
Unbelieving the tears,
He looks down.
He stares long and hard
At the depths of that chasm.
His eyes trace the other side,
Looking for some way across,
But it is so far away.
Once it was so close,
He remembers.
Once this chasm wasn’t here,
But instead was solid
Beneath their feet.
Once he held her
On this very ground,
And he was happy.
As he thinks, the memories
Tear at his mind.
That word escapes
His mouth again
Without thinking
And her name echoes
Across the canyon.
Louder and Louder
It grows in his mind,
Driving him mad.
Despairing, searching,
He sees only her face.
He sees her clearly,
Right in front of him.
The ground is solid again.
He steps, trusting,
Just as she trusted.
But it was a sham,
A trick played
By his own mind,
The traitorous wretch,
And he falls.