Point Paradise Apartments
Part two of three.
The next day, I wander through the building
searching for more supplies.
But there's nothing left ā not a single can of food,
not a single bottle of water.
All that remains is decay and emptiness.
The only company I find is the rats
scurrying through the dark hallways.
As I make my way up to the second floor,
I hear a noise coming from one of the apartments.
There's someone inside ā alive, but clearly alone.
They must have been caught in the storm last night.
I approach cautiously, staying hidden in the shadows.
The person is shaking uncontrollably; it looks like they're about to die.
I can't leave them here to die;
I have to find some way to save them.
Without thinking any further,
I reach out and pull them into my arms.
They're freezing, but I don't care;
I'll do anything to save them.
I carry them down to the first floor.
I'll have to get them back to Lazarus
where I know a doctor that may be able to help them.
This was a poetic tale from the city of Lazarus, A dystopian metropolis half sunken in the sea, along with ai art created with stable diffusion / Midjourney ai browser applications, inspired by the words of the poem. War and climate change took its toll on this and every other city we know. This is one of many short tales of a young woman ("the narrator") and her daily life surviving in the ruble of the modern world.
I am adding individual poems to a collection that I plan on eventually publishing into an ebook.
Thank you for reading.
šHere are a few links to some of the other poems about the dystopian City of Lazarus: