Simple as this.

It rattles me.

Such offhandedness, of idle banter.

How a lifetime ago, I held on tight.

Then, it was the only thing.

Keeping madness at bay, away but always in sight.

It made me more afraid than ever.

How time heals and erodes simultaneously.

Then again, I could only wander.

Such is life, too fast paced and unforgiving for the uninitiated.

minutes to midnight.

the world becomes a little bigger, a little scarier.

and,

it crashes down on you.