A shadow hangs,

silence thick as fog,

time stretches,

a heavy blanket.

Sadness seeps,

like rain through cracked soil,

each drop a memory,

each gasp a reminder

of lost laughter.

I stand apart,

on the edge of the crowd,

watching others live,

while I gather dust,

forgotten—a book on a shelf.

In whispers,

I hear promises break,

still, I wait,

for an end,

like dawn unwilling