Today I Woke Up

Today I Woke Up
and everything was different,
I went out into the street and there was no one there.
Today I woke up and I was the only pedestrian,
the traffic lights were only for cars.
Today I Woke Up
and noticed cameras on every corner,
I woke up and felt watched,
the eye
followed
everywhere,
I felt harassed and uncomfortable.
I woke up and in the shops
there were no people working,
only machines replacing them.
I woke up wanting to drink coffee,
but it stopped existing years ago.
Today I woke up and had no one to help me.
I woke up wanting to listen to music,
but I couldn’t find it anywhere.
Today I woke up wanting to buy magazines,
but I remembered they stopped making them
because no one was interested anymore.
Today I woke up wanting to smoke,
but tobacco no longer existed
besides, it was forbidden.
I woke up hungry for my favorite dish,
but everywhere the food tasted awful;
I wanted to order something from a menu that no longer exists
and choose something they would force me to eat anyway.
I woke up wanting to go to the movies,
but I remembered there aren’t any left.
I also woke up wanting to read a book,
but they stopped printing them long ago.
Today I woke up wanting to know the news,
but I remembered everything always gets worse.
I woke up wanting to talk with someone,
but I remembered no one socializes anymore.
Today I remembered I had a party
that I didn’t plan
and to which I invited no one.
I woke up wanting to see you,
but I remembered you were no longer there.
I woke up hating the present.
I tried to distract myself by watching television,
but I remembered no one watches it anymore,
just like we haven’t seen each other either.
Today I woke up and the whole world was different
except me—
I was still the same as always.

Photography by Ignacio Isaac Soto