When forests fall to embered ash,
when branches stand like broken hands,
and silence hangs where once was song,
the world feels hollow, stripped, and gone.
Yet deep within a quiet chest,
a mountain rises, lakes reflect,
a secret meadow keeps its green,
untouched by fire, unseen, serene.
Though autumn steals the summer’s breath,
though colors fade and life plays dead,
a single spark, a fragile flame,
can call the blossoms back by name.
For hope is not a fleeting thing—
it roots beneath, it waits through pain.
And even when the skies are dim,
a dream unbroken will begin.
Life returns, as life must do,
with brighter shades, with voices new.
The barren world may think you lost—
but inside, you have kept the frost.
Kept it, still beyond the thaw,
till dreams begin to stir once more.
Story and art by Damian Smith
Original artworks, Limited edition signed prints and digital downloads at www.TheCosmicFray.com
Find the Cosmic Fray merch at
https://thecosmicfray.threadless.com/