Where are you now? I remember those piercing green emeralds, but that's about it. Perhaps even a smile that same time our gazes connected while sitting at McDonald's. I've gone back countless times afterward but to no avail. The reality is we live in two separate worlds. But what I'm noticing is our worlds aren't that different after all. Rather, our worlds are colliding with each passing day. And the world you belong in is getting bigger with each passing second. As if consumed by society, cannibalizing its flesh until space has become a commodity highly sought after, segregation has taken place between the privileged and the rest of us. Between those two, separation has taken place yet again from those acquiring the bare necessities to having absolutely nothing at all. At least nothing is the assumption when it comes to the tangibles of life. Of course all of which are mere trinkets, enslaving us to the privileged, devouring our flesh while drinking our blood. Our minds imprisoned by the social standards crammed down our throats by such stylish shackles, linking us to every soul on this planet. Meanwhile, force feeding us, fattening our livers until served al dente with truffles accompanied by a Côteaux du Layon. And I too once held a pact with the devil, obsessing for this need to quench an insatiable desire until finally relinquishing these so-called modern devices. As I count the seconds down, my place among the enslaved will no longer exist as I am ostracized, castrated from my masculinity. I find solace, knowing I will not be alone as I embark on my journey in this new world. Maybe for the first time, our eyes will meet without judgment or harsh criticism. Maybe for the first time, I will see the real essence of the person I've longed for ever since our paths had crossed. But am I prepared to enter into your world? I suppose no one ever is until forced to do so. Perhaps it is insanity that some choose this world of free will. Or, are the insane the enslaved, handing a stone to the next proletariat to place among that daunting pyramid, gawking down at us simpletons? I wonder if my friends will miss me or will I even care; it's hard to say when the veil has shrouded my vision for so long. Perhaps, I will witness their ulterior motives since the lifting of the veil. I have longed for a companionship to help mend these shattered pieces of shards I guard. But in the world I once lived in—I was never enough! And such is life as I trudged laboriously through the thick, bustling edifices, struggling to gain recognition by them; by her. —But to no avail! I'm just one number of many sheep corralled and prodded into the next cubicle awaiting orders. And to her, I was just a number that had exhausted its expiration date. And, so I've forgotten that evil sensation, brewing in the pit of my stomach because it was a lie—a false hope! With time, ice shielded the glass shards, forming a barrier; not even the sun could penetrate. Or so I thought. With just one glance, a ripple effect took place, and a warmth shook the very foundation of my being. I've been searching for you since. —Maybe this time, I'll finally be successful.