We all knew what we were getting into when we signed up. We all knew the risks, the dangers, and the odds. But that doesn’t make it any easier when the people you have lived, laughed, and cried with are suddenly gone. One minute there, planning the day’s travels, and the next minute emptiness. Swallowed by a gaping void that can never be filled. Thirst never quenched. Hunger never satiated.
People talk of control. We ride on the crest of the wave for a time, feeling like we are somehow guiding the power, channeling the energy. Late night promises spun of wishes and dreams, webs cobbled together from whispers that drift away on the wind.
Let it be known: I choose defiance. Not cheerful ignorance or silent tolerance. I stand before you and scream the names of all those who have fought before me until the heat of my words leaves char and ash in my mouth. Together we rise, chipping away at your strength, slowly eroding your power with endless rivers of tears, until one day we will walk on the soft sand beaches of your ruin, breathing in the deepest warmth of dawn’s light. That is the day we celebrate. And every celebration until then we hold up in front of you as a taunt, a challenge. Every smile, every laugh, every tear, a challenge. We have no fear, we will not fail, fall has come, your winter will be dark, cold, and endless.