An old random free-verse I have in my phone notepad. thought I'd share. I stare blankly, still not quite aware of what's happened. Like the bang of a gun, it's always far too late before you realise what's happened. It flickers. In an instant all that you had is gone. It's dead. It's lost. You know it's bad. But the shock keeps you numb. That empty feeling. The calm before the storm. The quiet moments before the torrents of pain and blood rush onward and overwhelm your senses. The last few seconds before it overwhelms you, drags you under and then finally drowns you in your own sense of misery. Life is overcoming those moments. Finding an inner strength to surge past. Power your way through. To become stronger than you are. Strong enough to overcome the sorrow that envelops your heart; the pain that drowns you. That's the essence of life. The fire in the eyes of a survivor. The passion to exist that forces people to endure when they feel they can bear no more. Is that fire in my eyes? Do the embers still glow? Or do they flicker one last time, a sorrowful reminder of the vibrancy once contained within. This time, finally the fire has been quelled. This time, that life has come to an end. And then it happens. One last flicker from the dying embers but wait! life surges out anew. A flame burns again. Growing brighter! Brighter then before! Surging beyond what once was there and dwarfing it with newfound strength. That is the essence of mankind. To rise once more where one has faltered. Steadfast in the face of overwhelming adversity. The ability to endure.