The Light Remains When Sound Fades

The screen glows in the dark, holding a moment you can see but not hear. You stare at the open mouth, the crinkled eyes, the joy that is now silent, and the quiet in the room feels heavy enough to crush you.

You are reaching for a sound that has slipped away, and the loss feels like a second goodbye. But look closer at the light that is still there, trapped in the pixels, waiting for you to see it.

The darkness has not overcome it. There is light within a person of light, and it lights up the whole world.

The laugh may be gone from your ears, but the light that made that laugh possible is still here. It was there before the photo was taken, and it is here now, in the silence.

The sound fades, but the light remains.