Swallowed by the Dark

*This poem was written in Afghanistan, and its darkness reflects the inner landscape of war, grief, and survival.

The light that once crowned her beauty slowly rots away.
Something unseen feeds on her soul,
a parasite of sorrow and ruin,
until she is left cold, hollow,
and swallowed by the dark.

Rage strikes like lightning.
A vicious fire blooms within her,
and from the stillness of the black thorned rose,
its petals heavy with shadow,
The demon rises at last.