it's time to wake up.

there is a time and place rooted in the entangled stream of my mind
all too often i forget whether or not it's real
we were small once
in love with the lives we led and the open paths we had in front of us
i go back there often
back to when we saw the world for everything it was: an endless fortress of wonder
limitless in exploration, experience, and all of the hidden things that only our open hearts could find
i go back to the time when we believed that anything was possible
when our dreams nurtured hope and growth
unclouded by fear and doubt
when our ambitions sparked flames that could not be suffocated
when our dreamy innocence was left untouched, unpolluted
i go back to when we believed it was all here for us
for them
and for all that was or could ever be
nothing felt unsafe then
not until life hardened us
heartbreak left us bitter and mistrusting
injustice left us angry and uncertain

we stood in muddy trenches
slaughtering our brothers and sisters
we gathered in the halls and streets
beating bloody those brave enough to be different
brave enough to be themselves
we condemned those striving for change
spreading hate and lies
pure poison
we fought
oh how we fought
having not yet realized we were caught in chaos among ourselves
chaos created and curated by our fathers and their founding fathers
to distract us from their shakes and deals
all things they did not want us to see
all things they did not want us to know

now we stand in silence at the edge of the lands we knew
desperation growing for signs of something more
anything
anything that could be past the distant, fading horizon
the waters crash against the rocky shores with ferocious serenity
i can only marvel at how unchanged it seems
everything that i was
everything that we are
it feels so different
so much time and truth unfolding since the first time we stood here
the sand beneath my feet and the salted air that grazes my cheeks
they feel as if they've been frozen in time
unlike me
unlike us
this place feels whole
touched by all and changed by nothing
that's how i hope we leave this place
now
this is our moment
the moment of our awakening
our time to rise for what's important
to save what could be lost for good
or, we too, shall be lost
frozen in lost time-
for all of my time
all of our time
and all time
that was or could ever be