The sun shines,

The trees eclipse,

The gravel shimmers,

The cars sit still,

Like me,

My skin wrapped and crumpling,

Shaking and quivering,

Only able to stare out,

So many decades have passed,

The day the war orphaned me,

The day I flew to the States,

The day I lay here,

But the cars and gravel disappear,

The trees turn pink,

The walls disappear,

My home had returned,

Echoes of a child’s laugh,

My laugh,

The young girl in front of me,

Standing in a rich pink dress,

“Are you okay?”

It was my voice,

My innocence,

“You look sad,”

For a second,

I was nine,

I had a home,

I had a family,

I didn’t think of a bomb,

Or an invasion,

Or endless sleepless nights,

Just a child,

My hand reached out to her,

Quaking away,

Begging,

“Please no,”

I wanted to save her,

Save her family,

Save her fate,

Not suffer,

But she held up her hand,

“It’s okay,”

“I have made peace,”

“You have made peace,”

“Know that,”

In that moment,

In that second,

I reached my hand out,

And embraced the girl,

Sobbing out,

I was free,

At peace,

Healed,

Then she faded,

Slowly but surely,

I begged,

“Please don’t go,”

“Why?”

“I can’t you lose you,”

“You will suffer,”

“I want you happy,”

“It hurts,”

“But you must move on,”

“Focus on what you gained,”

“Not what you lost,”

The girl ran away,

Away from her family,

Away from her country,

Away from her innocence,

But also towards something,

Towards love,

Towards my children,

Towards my new home,

Then the trees turned green,

Then the pavement came back,

Then the walls came back,

Then I was alone,

The walls were cold,

I could only turn away,

And face it,

Death,

But the halls changed,

Brighter and happier,

I lived my life.

And it was beautiful,

I went away,

Content with fate,

With the pain,

And the beauty