SheRan

The night was cold and thin

The air was scantily clad in such a way that she felt that

If she could but stop for a second she could reach through it and grasp time

Arrest it stop it bring back the years of hope

Before the years of inevitably set in

But she did not stop

She ran

Air is a precious commodity one she had taken for granted until it was all she had

Tonight she chased it she felt as if her lungs could not get enough of it

With each new step a new shallow breath

And a new resolve to continue filling her chest

With the last thing in this world that was free

She knew that if she stopped the night would end

And she did not want the night to end

The colors were too vivid

First the reds the piercing reds

They swept out of the night sky in such an instant

That she did not have time to witness their origin

But there they were

Swirling brilliant reds that swept her up like she scarcely remembered

Indeed did she even remember it

Or was this the embodiment of a shadow she always hoped to one day remember

The color floated around her as she ran keeping up with her

Perhaps even lagging back a little so that she could keep up with it

She could not help it she began to be entranced by its brilliance

Though she dared not slow down

She peered into it

Trying to imprint upon her memory every detail of its stunning lifeform

Then suddenly did it change

The reds were not quite as flowing as they once were

They moved a little more awkwardly

She knew she had seen that movement before somewhere

Then she remembered

Yes The reds were walking

Alongside her they walked still dancingly keeping up with her every running stride

Their shapes became more and more human

She recognized one of the colors

He looked into her eyes with the love that said that it was already finished

There was nothing she could do to ever spurn that love

Then another color touched her shoulder

She whirled her head around just in time to catch the shape

Of a life that spoke of a bond with her that nothing but tears could form

In an instant the motherly shape was gone

But reformed next to the figure on her other side walking arm in arm with it

She almost stumbled

Something had touched her heels

She turned her head around long enough to see a child following behind her

It was a little girl a little girl without colors

She skipped and sauntered without a care in the world

But all the time keeping up with her

She wondered at the child she wondered at childhood

So happy so light all its cares are immediate

There is no sense of that fact that time will one day have its way

No one tells children the truth

From somewhere behind the child deep in the distance

She thought she saw another red

A different red

But she couldn't be sure she had to keep her head straight onward

To immerse herself in the air in the night

Nor did she have time to worry about the new color