Sliver

There’s nothing to see in darkness.
A heavy nothing, and I’m sinking.
Oblivion fills every crevice and pushes in, in.
No noises, no smells, no images, no tastes:
Full of emptiness.
Moving, one foot in front of the other,
And then the back foot comes forward, hesitant.
And again. And again.
A sliver glows on the horizon
And consumes everything.
One foot in front of the other, faster and faster still,
And I’m blinded but drawn forward. Eager. Scared.
Everything blurs and the light washes over me.
A feeling of warmth starts at my fingertips
Slowly filling my body
with a comforting burn.
It hurts. It’s over. I’m free.

By Charlotte Leonetti