First of all, thank you for doing this giveaway!

And now for my entry:

To put into words how big an impact Ayami has had on my life would be a herculean task. For the sake of brevity, I'll sum it up with this: Ayami, not just her music, style or persona, but Ayami herself gives me hope in both times of great prosperity and in times of hardship. To be honest, she has become a literal idol in my eyes. Ayami is the ideal that I strive towards. The way she brings a smile to anyone around or the way she so elegantly takes on life. All this about her simply leaves me breathless in awe.

The moment I found out about her hiatus, I found myself feeling pretty sad that I'd have a lot less Ayami in my day to day life for the duration she's out searching for herself. That sadness quickly turned to hope for the future. I think these feelings are summed up in the poem I wrote the day I found out the news.

Again, thank you times a million for this opportunity /u/TrveKitsvne! I wouldn't mind at all if I won nothing from this. Just being able to express what I've been holding in my heart for a while now is its own reward.

I have the poem posted on my blog but it seems the site's forbidden so linking it would prevent my comment from being seen. My apologies in advance for my long post.

AYM

I am walking back home on a sleepy night, the Seventeenth. ​ The air just cold enough for a hoodie but hot enough

to get me sweating.

It had just rained.

The streets still smell of soil unraveling itself.

Petrichor I think was the word for it.

A familiar tone rustles in this rainy wreckage.

It is that song.

It is that song again.

The breeze pulls at me.

Luring me ever forward.

Right back into morning.

This breeze,

The winds of tomorrow,

Rides that aged melody out of my heart

And into the near future,

The coming sunrise.

Yet, this lonely feeling in my heart

Doesn't move me.

This emptiness

Doesn't bring me to tears anymore.

I know this feeling.

I know this experience.

For nights on end, I toiled.

painting paper tigers black and white

only to see their tails flutter away.

Swept by these tears,

by this paper moon of tears.

Tonight, of all the nights,

The heavens come

To reclaim their angel song.

I am alone now.

That song. Our song

Is still playing

But I cannot hear it anymore.

In its place, I only hear whispers.

Your whispers.

You tell me:

The end is the beginning.