"Post-mortem"
=============

* Alexander Francis Vu

*   poetry
*   medicine

> The winds blow across the streets.
> 
> Intersections that once bustled with activity
> 
> now empty.

> The telephone lines that had buzzed with emotion
> 
> ring no longer with laughter, cries of joy, or even a hint of sadness,
> 
> but are now heavy with an eerie silence.

> The buildings stand as empty shells.
> 
> Broken lights. Quiet and still with dust.
> 
> No visitors, no inhabitants.

> And yet, the courses of the highways and the roads
> 
> still trace the outlines and take the same paths
> 
> by which the lifeblood sustained the city.

> The cables that hang from the utility poles
> 
> are a testament to the intimate connections.
> 
> A glimpse of the incredible network of human nature.

> Though empty, the towers of brick, concrete, and glass
> 
> retain their slender curves and sleek faces.
> 
> The architecture still holds personality, and
> 
> the walls still do not fail to scrape the sky.

> And by exploring the details,
> 
> the city will divulge her secrets,
> 
> with each aspect to be taken apart
> 
> to reveal every little niche.
> 
> Each corner holds its own story and memory.

> Only in her deconstruction can her beauty be fully realized.
> 
> And yet, despite being deprived of
> 
> the vitality and vigor that used to define her,
> 
> the skyline still holds true
> 
> to the magnificence of how she had thrived.
> 
> What continues to exist is not a shadow,
> 
> but a reflection of her former life.

## Footnotes

*   Competing interests None.

*   Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.