I walked with them for miles
Listening to their stories
Till I realized that they were just lost souls
At that moment of clarity
I saw them disappear into the fog
The fog of illusions
Illusions of love and happiness and hope and God
I stopped and let them go ahead
I had reached my destination
I closed my eyes and reached out to grab Nirvana
But nothing
I open my eyes and realized
That the illusion of clarity was gone
And I was just as lost as everyone else
But even worse
Now I was all alone
Photograph by Awais Riaz, M.D., Ph.D. taken in Montana in 2013.