Imprisoned for 30 years
I fought desperately to hold onto my memories, my hopes, and
my dreams. But, the memory of that sunlight and fresh air -
warm, welcoming sunlight and air without the stench of
tension, anger or regret was fading. Instead, my thoughts have
been branded with this image. What happened to trees and
fields? What happened to the rivers? What happened to the
sky? Where did all of this come from? All that is in view are
towering buildings, lengthy power cables, endless roads,
factories and the grey sky. I left a small, quaint town only to
return to a megalopolis. A megalopolis filled with the incessant
noise of traffic, dial-up and the things held next to every
person’s ear.
There are so many more people. They are all so driven,
hurriedly walking as if you are not even there. Gone are the
good days of them interacting with one another. Now, all of
them are on their own mission with their eyes glued to small
screens or their ears blocked by small headphones, oblivious to
the rest of the world. Happiness too, is a thing of the past. All
that can be seen for miles is downcast eyes, focused stares and
straight faces. An overwhelming feeling swept across me, a
feeling alien to me 30 years ago, a feeling that I got all too
used to in prison - Insignificance.
I fought desperately to hold onto my memories, my hopes, and
my dreams. But, the memory of that sunlight and fresh air -
warm, welcoming sunlight and air without the stench of
tension, anger or regret was fading. Instead, my thoughts have
been branded with this image. What happened to trees and
fields? What happened to the rivers? What happened to the
sky? Where did all of this come from? All that is in view are
towering buildings, lengthy power cables, endless roads,
factories and the grey sky. I left a small, quaint town only to
return to a megalopolis. A megalopolis filled with the incessant
noise of traffic, dial-up and the things held next to every
person’s ear.
There are so many more people. They are all so driven,
hurriedly walking as if you are not even there. Gone are the
good days of them interacting with one another. Now, all of
them are on their own mission with their eyes glued to small
screens or their ears blocked by small headphones, oblivious to
the rest of the world. Happiness too, is a thing of the past. All
that can be seen for miles is downcast eyes, focused stares and
straight faces. An overwhelming feeling swept across me, a
feeling alien to me 30 years ago, a feeling that I got all too
used to in prison - Insignificance.
