What have I lost?

Sunlight colours the woodland. The air is rich with warmth. The ground, rich with life. It is full of bluebells, daffodils, hyacinths, and snowdrops. I can hear birds in the distance and see butterflies all around me. I can hardly believe the picturesque scene, but I do not want this to distract me.

“What have I lost?”

Sunlight glosses the sea. Below the temperate surface, red coral, purple coral, and green coral house curious fish with eyes as black as night. I stretch out my arm and quickly recoil from the painful prick of a sea urchin, but I do not want this to set me back.

“What have I lost?”

Sunlight paints the walls of the city. Dustbins are full of rubbish and rats. Empty boxes with faded labels are stacked in a chaotic mess. The wind carries storms of litter. There is a lingering smell in the warm air which angers me, but I do not want this to cloud my judgement.

“What have I lost?”

Sunlight blankets the mountain peaks. The mist is so dense, so daunting, so dangerous. The path, rocky and narrow. The air, icy. Only a mountain goat lives here. Climbing without thought. It makes me think a lot, but I do not want this to demoralise me.

“What have I lost?”

Sunlight drenches the desert. The air is dry and the sand is orange like fire. Dying shrubs and cacti are buried in sand dunes. Above me, a bald eagle calls. It awakens life from this wasted place, but I do not want this to wake me.

“What have I lost?”

Sunlight coats the countryside. Muddy pits and daisies inspire organic paths to nowhere. Rolling hills are full of grazing cattle, content with the refreshing air and grass. Scattering fragrances of land and lake stimulate my senses, but I do not want this to complete me.

“What have I lost?”

Sunlight stains the graveyard. The ground is rich with death. Crows as dark as nothing caw at the bouquets of tulips and lilies decaying on the stone below. Their petals accept the cold air’s invitation to carry them to the beyond. I relax and drop to my knees. I finally know what I have lost. Who I have lost.

I have lost you.