The Heart Of The Beast----Page 29

It was only a couple of months, but it seemed
like a lifetime. It seems like it was only yesterday.
We took the night by the throat and we burned
it down. We were free. Perhaps that freedom was
only temporary for both of us. Perhaps freedom
has an ephemeral quality on this Earth. I remember
the days and nights rolling along like a train. And
your train ran off of the tracks, didn't it? We
were both at the crossroads of our young lives;
intersecting with each other meaningfully for one
last time.
It is impossible to fully recapture the feeling
of that time; but sometimes I sense a part of
it, sometimes I smell it. I remember you yelling
at the top of your lungs and the shock on my
new friend's face. And when you broke your ankle
I remember not taking you to the hospital. But
someone else did. I remember the white angel
that took you by the hand until your nose ran
red rivers of blood. And you cupped your hands.
But the blood overflowed into the hall for all to
see.
You helped me at a time when I needed help.
And I helped you at a time when you needed
help. I was the only one who could help you
and you were the only one who could help me.
And I will never forget. Sometimes I wonder
what became of you. Sometimes I am afraid to
know. Inroads were made into virgin territory.
We bore the water that was necessary to
sustain us. And I continued on with my life
in the remains of the city.