Falling

How did she fall?

She fell so beautifully.

How did she fall?

She fell with grace.

How did she fall?

Like a flower into the ocean.

How did she FALL?

Slipping over the edge like a swift wind.

HOW DID SHE FALL?!

Screaming. Her nails bent back as she clawed for the edge, fingers

bleeding, voice keening. She did not fall.

How did she fall?

She was dragged.

I watched while I was working

You sat at the bench outside my office

You wrote in your notebook

You glowed in the sun

A summer girl

A November day bursting with heat

Indian summer they called it

And thankful was I

For never would have I seen

You through my window screen

A church towered behind

Sky painted in blue

Halloween’s fall leaves skittering

But I could not hear

For you were there and I was here

And a wall of glass absorbed

All was silent

At the desk in which I stood

Never again

Did there I see you

For you were gone

And like summer

You faded from my view

You were like fire after the world fell

I wasn’t with you when it did

When the edges finally collapsed

And everything changed

But after

I saw you

You were different

Burning in the ashes like a spark

Striding through ruins

Your eyes ablaze

A girl of fire

Your form flickering with flames

Ethereal fire dancing on your arms

As you danced over your shattered world

Leading those who didn’t burn as bright

Showing them to how survive

But what spark could possibly survive under a deluge of pain?

I watched you sputter and falter

Watched you stumble and fall

Your embers

Doused from the crimson liquid dripping from your hands

You swung your sword

Over and over

Your soul aching to stop

Your smile chipped with every heart

That stopped beating beneath your hands

Your metal blade shone like the sun

From so long ago

When I glimpsed you as you were

As an honest far simpler soul

Warrior girl

Broken girl

I saw it all too late

Far too late

As the darkness

Slowly sunk into your bones

With every death

And every life you took

Little by little

It seeped into your being

Until it consumed you whole

The voices of the gone and buried

Haunted you with every step

But you only added to them

With every bullet you loosed

And every ribcage you fractured  

I remember you looking at me

For the first time

Your eyes were heavy

You did not smile like summer

You did not burn like fire

You did not fight like a soldier

You stared at me with sad eyes

Hollowed from what they once were

There was no blood

There was no body

You did not scream

But thousands stood as witnesses

And the weight of the world

And the darkness of the void

Were the weapons that took you

No

They did not take you

It was murder in every sense of the word

The world murdered you

How did she fall?

She fell so beautifully.

How did she fall?

She fell with grace.

How did she fall?

Like a flower into the ocean.

How did she FALL?

Slipping over the edge like a swift wind.

HOW DID SHE FALL?!

Screaming. Her nails bent back as she clawed for the edge, fingers bleeding, voice keening. She did not fall.

How did she fall?

She was dragged.

When she first saw him

It was Indian summer

A layer of glass between them

And glances that he thought she couldn’t see

His office was dark

She could not see beyond his shadowed face

But he gazed at the outside world with a gentle smile

She was glad she’d picked to sit outside today

This stranger brought a quiet, soothing calm

To the space around him

She did not sit there again

She would never go back

It had been her last day there

She did not see him again

Not until after everything shattered

She saw him in the battles

Watching in despair

Helpless to stop the death all around him

She watched him even as she burned

He seemed to be everywhere

His face ingrained her mind

And his peace and comfort

Calling to her

The only bit of okay that she felt

As she went up like a match

He watched her as she drowned

Too far away to pull her out

She’d spilt too much

For anyone to help her now

As her lungs slowly filled with the red life blood of others

He seemed to draw closer

To her darkened

Blackened, ink drenched soul

Each slowly passing day

Coming a little closer

When she met his eyes for the first time

Her soul screaming in agony

Her lungs shaking for air

He looked at her

Sympathy filling every corner of his face

Tears she’d never been able to cry for herself

Falling off his chin

When he finally approached her

It was a cold November

There was no warmth this time

No smiles

Or scatterings of fall

It was cold

But she did not feel it

He embraced her

Giving her the comfort

She’d deserved so long ago

He had watched the world slowly kill her

Slowly take away her light

Her summer soul

He was finally helping her escape

He held her

Guiding her away

Slipping away from life

From what it had subjected her to

The day was cold

But she was not

And nor was he

His dark cloak swirling

His arms holding her protectively

She had died so long ago

Gone long before she realized she was no longer living

Her body had finally followed her soul

He led her away now

A gently curving scythe

Glowing like the moon

Held in one hand

Guarding her

Letting her be protected for once

As he brought her

To skies of blue

Forests of fall

To peace

As she finally found her rest

Not in this world

But in the next

Beside her old friend

For the rest of eternity.