Written by Mayre Coba

A spark, hidden under the blanket of a starry night sky. Carelessly waiting to shine. The voices, who dictate what should be done, suppress any chance of getting out. There are piles of expectations, “should” and “shouldn't” dos. But in this quest of expectations, the spark swallowed the screams and cries that could have caused 10 years without companionship. In this quest, the spark bathed itself in rose-scented perfume when inside it was rotten. In its search, something inside of it was completely torn apart. It was like a black hole. In this quest, the dream was something imaginary. The childhood gifts, pictures and stickers were mocking. They stared with disapproval. My throat hurts from so many screams I could never share. Never in my life have I been so aware of my loneliness. The demons burned my insides. They burned with their fire the heroes of my childhood. They are sugary smiles, that cover with their faithful paint, the bitter taste that slowly kills my skin. In the end, in your search, I got lost. And slowly, they wrap the spark up and crush it down until there's only a tiny dash. But it still lives. These voices continue haunting the spark, but it has slowly grown. The spark never gave up, even when it felt lost in a dense darkness. The spark decided it was destined to shine. The expectations were only that, expectations from others that would not define if the spark was destined to shine or not. So it decided to shine and show the world how strong it was. The outside cacophonous sounds of people asking you to be something you are not did not matter. There is more to life than outside commentary. What matters is the spark, that desire to be more. That was the tremendous change which the spark experienced. The solitude and overwhelming feelings were needed in order to grow and learn.