Convicts.

 Nobody knew. They were all tried in absentia.

The judge disagreed, however.

in the manner of posting the sentence.

Only that old prophet

he wrote it on the wings of the emerging nettle of sacrifices,

on the altar where the logs of self-sacrifice were burning.

Low eyes never saw it in the signs of heaven.

All blind, but with eyes wide open, they were moving forward.

Turning…

Expectations stolen long ago.

The big diamond in the mud of unwashed roads.

Children's smiles on lost, nameless forms.

A dead flower, painted in the dull, empty

looks.

A worthless thorn, stuck in their Achilles' heel,

he was bleeding slowly.

They still held on.

Until the dark, yet unknown, gate opens ahead.

With the black rainbow in the background

and a vast, cracked void behind him.

Time tripped

in the billowing dim moons of unexpected surprise,

before the senses of truth are awakened.

Before paintings, reliefs,

on the chipped bodies of the resinous trunks,

be lit by flames of burnt hopes

and the light dies irretrievably.

You were laughing…

Leaning by the window of wonder,

beside the frown curtain,

which has just been dragged.

As if you knew it as a child...

They were all found guilty, tried in their absence. Yet, the judge disagreed with the traditional method of posting the sentence. Instead, he chose a more cryptic, almost prophetic approach. The sentence was inscribed on the wings of a newly emerging nettle of sacrifices, on the altar where logs of self-sacrifice burned. 

The people, blind to the celestial signs, marched forward, their expectations long stolen. Their journey was marked by hardship and despair: children's smiles on lost, nameless forms, a dead flower painted in dull, empty looks, a worthless thorn stuck in their Achilles' heel. 

Despite their suffering, they held on, until a dark, unknown gate appeared ahead. Behind it was a vast, cracked void, and in the background, a black rainbow. Time seemed to trip as they faced this unexpected reality, their senses of truth slowly awakening. 

The once-vibrant paintings and reliefs on the resinous trunks of the trees were now illuminated by the flames of burnt hopes, their light dying irretrievably. Yet, amidst this despair, there was a strange sense of peace. A childlike wonder seemed to have taken hold, as if they had known all along what was to come. 

As they stood before the dark gate, a sense of calm washed over them. The weight of their unseen sentence seemed to lift, replaced by a strange acceptance. They knew that their journey was nearing its end, and that whatever lay beyond the gate was inevitable.

With a deep breath, they stepped through the darkness. The world they emerged into was unlike anything they had ever experienced. It was a place of ethereal beauty, where the sky was filled with swirling colors and the ground was carpeted with soft, glowing flowers.

As they wandered through this new realm, they encountered other souls who had also passed through the gate. Some were filled with joy and wonder, while others carried a sense of peace and serenity. They all shared a common bond, a connection forged in the crucible of their unseen sentence.

Together, they explored the vast expanse of this new world, learning its secrets and discovering its hidden wonders. They found solace in the company of others who understood their journey, and they found purpose in helping those who were still struggling to find their way.

In time, they came to realize that their unseen sentence had not been a punishment at all, but rather a test of their resilience and faith. It had forced them to confront their deepest fears and to discover the strength within themselves.

And so, they lived out their days in this beautiful new world, surrounded by love and light. They had found peace at last, and they knew that their journey had not been in vain.