Back When I Was Alive

Snow swirls in a cone of light under the street light
I walk without motion through whiteness
I turn, seeing no trace of passing

I would have left tracks
Back when I was alive

The night is empty of sensation
No whispers of the muse or spirit
No indication of direction

I would have known where to turn
Back when I was alive

Light sheds no vision
Daytime will not change the balance
Nighttime will not hide the pain

I would have known the light anywhere
Back when I was alive

My books and posters rot in storage
Unread, unknown, unvoiced
Nothing there holds any mystery I care to ponder

I would have read them
Back when I was alive

My dreams are out there somewhere
Blowing further and further from my ken
Driven by the wind, furiously spinning across the plains

I would have danced with them
Back when I was alive

-Edward Osenbaugh