I once sat at the table with my family
Prepared to feast on the small bread and glass of water
Dust lingering in the musty air
From disasters ongoing
Outside our doors

Each meal quieter than the last
As outside the noise grows louder
The earth moves stronger
The atmosphere daunting
Big eyes staring at me

How they haunt me day and night
The sound of that whistling
Like a rampaging train
Signaling its approach towards hell
Making its presence known
For those unsuspecting few
Wondering where the train will wind up
Until its too late

The screams in the chaos
The unappetizing bread
The unquenchable water
Evaporating into nothing
The sudden darkness
This is what blindness must be like

The pain shooting through my spine
The confusion my brain feels
Trying to piece together what just happened
The sudden darkness
I'm all alone in the hell that is my home
Surrounded by carnage

And the white helmets
Bringing me back to what
I think is reality
I don't know
Yet the sudden darkness
Haunts me to this day
It should've consumed me too

JM 4/20/17