The Lost Soul

You see the lost soul departing for other places. Traveling slow due to his heavy heart, he nonetheless makes his way to foreign lands without stopping for directions. You met him before he realizes, and before you're willing to admit. You've seen this a long time coming without even knowing why.

You professed your loved to him and he stopped for a glance to make sure he was right to leave you until his feelings were ripe. What neither of you anticipated was that those feelings, in that moment, were as ripe as they'd ever get.

Years go by and this fleeting soul bounces between walls, always weighed down by his heavy heart so much so that he can never make his way over the walls he believes he protects. But a wall need not be protected if the contents inside hold no value. The wall, as his protector, did not prevent others from coming in--but rather prevented him from leaving.

Can't stay in one place, and can't not stay in one place. The antecedent has become the behaviour, and in the absence of any freedom to punish or be punished, the lost soul earns his keep in the eyes of his fallen brother. Still, one day, a doctor will pronounce him dead, as though he hadn't been dead already for decades.

You watch the lost soul spin out of control, and you've never felt so grounded.