The Face of the New Norm

The rubble and the wreckage
The history beneath it all
Trees once lively and green
Mammoth, beautiful
Now graying
Decaying
Amidst brick and mortar
And mangled wire
On the side of the road
Property lines identified from memory
And by maps drawn during happier times
Designs showing progress
Of a city, of a people.
Children cannot recognize their homes, their streets
Adults drive through their neighborhoods
And no longer see familiar landmarks
The new ones are trees
Broken and bent in ways one could have never imagined before
Some still standing but barren
Drivers stop for stop signs
That are no longer there
Out of respect for what once was
And what they pray will be again.