A City of Grey

The sun was so bright it blinded the man; it caused everything else to become dim.
All was in the shadows.

He heaved under the weight of his pain.
 As he tried to block the sun, he also blocked out the eyes of staring strangers.
It seemed as if they knew, but still couldn’t bring themselves to care.

Everyone knows and no one cares.

The hordes of people all had sin in their hearts, none of them were blessed.
Evil swam among them, and rolled off them in waves.

Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.

The sights and smells were overwhelming for the man.
The world continued to speed forward, even when his world was stopped.
The bright colors of the sky, the dark world below, the flowers blooming, none who would notice.
Street vendors continued to sell to their customers, stealing their soul, piece by piece.
The horde stopped for a moment and continued on, forsaking value for worthless trinkets.

His ivy-green tattoo of a thorny rose burned into his skin, as if he could rip off the skin from his very bones to make everything alright.

He looked at the city, early in the morning; the entire day presented before them all, yet they would throw it away, just as they always did.
Just as he always did. Now he had no choice.
Life, or rather lack thereof, stopped him in his tracks.
He had to continue as he always did, but his mind refused to admit what his broken soul already knew.

The statue of Liberty held her torch high in the distance, but he turned away.
There were too many memories he wasn’t ready to face.
Unfortunately, the memories were everywhere: Searching for the first tux.
Buying lunch. Enjoying Broadway- the first time for both of them.
 Every shop, every street, and every monument brought another heartbreaking vision of serenity.

Memories from the past that invaded the present.

He continued to bite his lip, even as his mouth filled with a metallic taste.

The wind was sweet, but his soul was sour.
The sunny day seemed warm, but the wind was freezing to all but him.
It pinched his skin and moved his hair, but he deserved the pain. He needed it.
 He had to be strong now because he wasn’t strong before, at least not when it counted, not when it mattered the most.

His eyes were filled with the blurred colors of the city before him.
The bus pulled forward, but instead of smoke, the pipes coughed out blood.