Uncurled from the past,

a feverish era that could never last,

the photographes edges, images of us,

remain colored and distorted, faded under dust.

Unburdened at the time,

believing we were in our prime,

somewhere between sullen corduroy youth

and somber-suited adulthood truth.

Unaware of a fleeting miracle,

blissful ignorance before the pinnacle.

On the road to independence,

shouldering life’s never-ending penance.

Understanding reveals the truth,

the jaded fragments of cynical proof.

The illusion of freedom, ringing out,

all while we suffer echoes of burnout.