Usually

When I cry, I cry alone

I hold a force inside until it spills, hot and hurting

From my eyes and heart

But today my tears had companions

As I wake I don't find relief

From the nightmare that encompasses my soul

A bad movie replayed on what should have been

A sweet summer morning, with nothing but blue sky and sunshine

Instead of gray grief and smoke

Typically

When I grieve, I'm on my own

But not today

As searing pain replaces light-hearted innocence

And my eyes focus in the dark

I realize today I feel the weight of many

Who carry sadness like mantles

Attached to their backs

When I close my eyes I hope the illusion would shatter

But my eyes open and I'm still there

Normally,

When my pain hits

It's only in my heart

But now I see through an ash-filled haze

The faces of those who feel the burn of betrayal

and hold on to a hope that it wasn't real

Ten years ago, it wasn't true

And inside this lie we wait for relief

From the nightmare

The pain, brought in one summer morning