Loss

how I have known

beautiful souls

who could not run

fast enough

from the darkest corners

of their minds

lurking just below

the surface:

a primordial force

beckoning us all to

step out of the light

and into the darkness

how I can’t

figure out

why they

and not me

were chased off

the edge

of the world

by their demons

into the nothingness

of the void

that lies

below

us all

how I can’t

figure out why

the cosmic fire

consumes some

and lets others

live their lives

until time

turns them

into dust

all I  know

is how I miss them all

so, so

terribly

how I keep

their precious,

beautiful thoughts

close to my heart

for I will not allow

what remains

of their most

intricate versions

of themselves

to be extinguished

from the universe

while I am left

still breathing