The sounds of war surround us, we push on, running and hiding as we go, tears streaking our faces. Not even a week ago all was peaceful, all was calm, then it came, like a thief in the night, the war exploded. We had heard of it all over the world, but we are a small town, nothing to worry about, we thought we were safe, but we weren't, we were deceived by our leaders, by our own parents, we were deceived. We hear a scream and a scuffle, and look back. Magule falls to the ground, face in the dirt, he doesn't move, his blood quickly soaking into the dirt, another child lost, another young soul forced into oblivion. We clench our fists, our eyes pressed shut as we all hold back our tears and curses. We can not stay, we can not save him, he is gone, and we will all soon be. The sounds of war come closer, the buildings around us suddenly alive with fire, we quickly continue our flight. Migule still fresh in our minds as we push on, determined in our own ways to never forget him, to never forget, to never forgive what we have lost, to this mindless chaos.
We hide once more, quickly, for a single moment. Water, putrid water, is passed around, it is all we have, all we have had for days now. As we rest for our moment, we hear the sound of rain, sweet rain, but bitter to our ears. The shots ring out once more, and we know we must move. The rain still coming, we push on, it soaking through our clothes, stinging our eyes as we run. The sunset casting shadows, long shadows as we run, we use the shadows, running like rats, forced to hide as we move, the fear for our lives pressing down on our hearts, making our feet heavy. As we run to our last shadow, the a sound of hate rings over our ears, my knees become weak, my feet stumble, my chest burns. I look to my sister, my brother, my friends, and my lover. The rain burns, hot against my face, like acid, it burns my eyes as I take my last look to the sky. Falling to the mud, the rain falls around me, and I hear a scream, the scream of love, the scream of hatred, and the scream of fear, all in one, and one in none. The rain burns as I feel it against my back, my breathing heavy, the taste of iron in my mouth as I feel my blood running with the rain, leaving my body, as I leave this war, these lies, and this hatred, brought on by those before us, left to be dealt with by us, the young.
This hatred that we all feel, will it ever end, or will it consume us all? Will we be able to let it go as we come together as one, or will we harbor it, let it consume our lives, let it burn us alive from the inside of our hearts, spilling over to our lips, our minds, our actions? Will it ever end?
Today I heard the song "Young" by "Hollywood Undead" and as I listened to the lyrics, my mind began to work this story out, a picture of the world to come if we don't mend our hatred, and let it all flow. It is a dreary scene, but one that I see as true if we continue down this road of hatred towards each other.
