Guilt whispers, faint and hollow, They decry what they embrace. I bow beneath, tethered by fear— Romancing ruin, but dreading its flame.

To act is to unravel. Tears fall like ash on progress undone. Potential beckons, sharp-edged and empty. All things fade; knowledge seeps from the grave.

Hatred tempts. I resist. Yet desires gleam in shadows, Reserved for those who’ve become echoes— Trading spirit for specters.

Eyes betray the silence. Eyes never forget. But lies nest where time lingers, Gnawing away what once was.

So… guilt: a ghost or a guise? The aware see through veils, The lost, the weary, the broken— Turn blind.

Even as my glow dims, Even as dreams offer retreat, Reality waits, unrelenting. And when dawn arrives, What remains of me?