Is the open space in every beginning
Where you learn the best parts of each other
Long before the questionable parts begin to leak through the cracks
Before things start to turn sour
Before it gets too complicated
It isn’t just booming laughter and broad smiles
It isn’t just the brushstrokes of some sunrise hues across a painting
The smell of rain accompanied by the chill air
A burst of never ending energy that can generate enough to power a house through a blackout
It’s also scowls and brooding
Like a dark blot misshapen on a canvas that promises something bleak in its curves
Empty promises never to be fulfilled
The hollow structure of a house already abandoned
Caging the ghosts that have no desire to be there either
My favorite part of someone new
Is the open space in every beginning
Where you learn the best parts of each other
I’m not ready to show that it's not as good as this.
It only gets worse, and that is what I dread
The anticipation curls in my stomach
It writhes and turns into knots I can't even dream of unraveling
I’m waiting impatiently, on the edge of my seat
My brow drips with sweat and a lump forms in my throat
In just a moment I felt knocked back into the own hollow haunting of my body
An emptiness from which I had all of my life snatched out of me
Untethered and limp, a spectral drift
And yet I finally found an afterlife
The so called light I needed
A light I had to go towards
With new beginnings and paths waiting for a cautious step forward
But my new beginning came in the form of a bright smile
With cold hands and a warm body
Crafted to be held and caressed with soft and tender touches
A mind that writhes with thoughts unknown
And a heart that yearns for something more
Written by Nihal Nashed.
Cover photo by Marina Vitale.