locked and loaded
come, watch a story unfold with me.
scene 1
there is a bridge
overlooking a river
in the city of love.
for years, the bridge
has carried people across
its metal framework.
artists set their easels
over a steep drop into water.
trusting the bridge
with their life.
and more importantly, their art.
letting the breathtaking view
inspire their soft strokes of paint.
people from all around
the world come to this city
in search of the missing piece.
some come to find peace,
others to find purpose.
but regardless of their reasons,
this city gives everyone
a chance at love.
scene 2
so one evening,
a pair decided to proclaim
their lasting commitment.
they bought a small padlock
from the nearby shop.
carved their initials with
scarcely a space between,
linked the lock to the bridge,
and threw the key into
the running water.
proclaiming their everlasting
bond to everyone that
would come after.
as is human nature,
the bridge filled up soon after.
thousands of keys
rusting on the riverbed.
the bridge creaked
and groaned under the
burden of the gestures.
stuffed to the grills with promises.
much like love,
the erosion was gradual.
a small weight here,
a small crack there.
in hindsight,
i am sure everyone
saw it coming.
when, not if.
a parapet collapsed.
and the bridge let
out a sigh of relief.
in various spots across
the world,
did the couples feel it?
or had they ceased to exist already?
moved on from us to you and i.
scene 3
i wonder why the bridge
decided to give up.
was it just the mechanical strain?
the architects did not account
for all the love the bridge would
have to hold.
the figures simply did not tally.
then i think of the hope.
sickeningly sweet hope.
clinging to the locks with
every joined hand that closed them.
every shared glance after
the key vanished under ripples.
until the end is a rare gift.
but we throw it out so easily.
give away the rest of life
as if it is in our hands.
did the bridge grow tired
of the falsehoods uttered?
over three decades,
the forevers that crumbled
like flaky pastry.
no one starts loving
thinking that the relationship will end.
no one starts adding locks
thinking that the bridge will collapse.
but sometimes, both happen.