In my small, sequestered world,
where I never quite belonged,
a tiny garden flourished—
with flowers I adored.

But then, everything shattered.
Petals withered—
crushed and decayed,
and the grass beneath my feet turned gray.

Faces blurred—
smiles turned distant and cold.
Smoke rose from a fire I couldn’t quell,
crumbling everything—
I watched it all unfold.

Drifting further—
further beyond my reach.
”It can’t be, it can’t be—
Could I have done things differently?”

I sighed for the hundredth...