An Ode to Lost Potential by Daryna Yakovenko

 Jupiter was supposed to be a star but failed to form,

never gaining enough mass to shine. (by unknown author)

I`m putting flowers next to the photograph tied with a black ribbon. Two tulips - just the way she liked them - and a pair of childlike, presumably happy eyes gaze back at me. Or maybe she liked roses? Or lilies? I really don’t remember anymore. To be completely honest, we’ve never actually met, but her hazel, almost black eyes seem to gaze at me from behind an invisible wall built by time. 

For a second, I glance out the window: instead of the faded Kyiv landscape, the greenish high-rises of Chernihiv fall into my eyes like dust. I smile to myself and turn my gaze back to the photo: it’s all just your tricks, isn’t it?

And yet, a painful ache grips my heart: back then, I truly believed that everything would be different.

-    I really screwed up... – I close my eyes for a second so I don’t burst into tears. A single tear falls onto the photo and rolls down the little girl’s face, and then the room is flooded with tears.

To you, my little Jupiter. I'm putting flowers next to my childhood photo.