Weight of Rust and Resilience

Dust gathers where trophies once gleamed.
Memories sit heavy in shadowed corners.

Cigarette smoke lingers in the cold air.
Echoes of laughter haunt thin walls.

Yesterday's rain stains the street.
Concrete drinks the sky’s tears.

Dawn comes with a tired smile.
Sunlight cracks through old blinds.

Birdsong insists on being heard.
A reminder of what survives.

Coffee brews, steam rises like ghostly fingers.
Daylight ignites delicate dust motes.

Plant leaves tilt toward the window.
Living, despite the shadowed room.

The city breathes beneath, sirens wail softly.
Lost in the rhythm of distant footsteps.

I watch, a witness to rust and endurance.
The candle burns steady, unwavering.

I am here.
Yesterday's weight still rests.
But today's air is sharp and alive.

The walls remember.

--Vera