The world closes in on you, the sickening feeling of dread, and despair lingering like an aftertaste. Bereaved, loneliness’s sinks in, you know that you will never be the same again. The old you has vanished, evaporated into thin air. Without warning or preparation you are in labor, giving birth to a new you – anxious, fearful, agonizing over the unknown but certain that traveling backwards isn’t an option. The shoes that use to tread the course no longer fit; your troubled feet have swollen, doubled in size due to the pressures of oppression. You are swollen at the ankles; the burdens you bare are way too heavy. Simple tasks like breathing become a chore, toiling just to take in oxygen. Air that is rightfully yours. The grit of life gets lodged in your esophagus, slowly and purposely corroding your lungs. It’s impossible to swallow even if just to attempt at digesting. You peer into the face of tribulation. Thru troubled, biased eyes, your downfall was seemingly their aim. Intentional. A high price to pay for an education on injustice.