You lifted your head as you watched the wind carry orange leaves across the park.
Your gaze soon fell upon an empty tree.
An almost empty tree.
It looked dead.
It was withering. You could see mould growing on it.
You looked at the branches and found that there were barely any leaves left.
The wind picked up quickly taking away almost all of the leaves that remained.
You ran a hand through your hair and shielded your eyes from the wind.
Opening them again, you saw that there was only one leaf left on the tree. Your hair blowed softly in the gentle breeze.
The remaining leaf started to fall.
Your eyes followed it until it touched the ground.
You looked at the tree again.
It was empty.
Empty, just like your smile.
Empty, just like your laugh.
Empty, just like your heart.
You wondered. Did you look like that tree? Dying? Withering? Empty?
... When the world says, "Give up," Hope whispers, "Try it one more time." ...