the darkness surrounds as it crackles and pulls
the blue is so bright,
so bright,
it's blinding and at the same time
consuming
you fall to your knees, you
sink from the controls
your hands slip,
your fingers slip,
your mind wanders —
a joker aboard a small spaceship
a lady in blue with sad, sad eyes
a thick-nosed man saluting you still
a fighter. a soldier. a believer. a liar.
a friend.
your friends.
the pain is searing through you,
turning your skin to ashes
you can feel it flake off, as
you rise once more to your feet
one final,
impossible time
and even though these days seemed endless
seemed as if the death toll was ever on the rise
the scale was so large,
so grand,
so powerful,
so worth it.
it was.
the universe embraces you, with open arms
shepard, it whispers,
shepard.
how we have missed you.