Eulogy for the Youth

There once was a time,

Once upon a time,

So far away, it could be a dream.

A dream of roses and rainbows,

Of the sun on a warm, clear day,

Days that smelled of the cherry tree’s blossom.

And with blossoms in my hair,

I’d run hand in hand in the tall wheat grass

With a flower and a childhood sweetheart.

A dream of laughter and love,

Where nothing in the world really matters.

Not the future.

Not the past.

Only the moment.

-

There once was a time,

Once upon a time,

And the dream’s now too far away.

A reality of black and white,

Of the clouds on a dreary day,

Days that stink of smoke and tar.

And with a hat covering my hair,

I walk hand in hand in the paved city streets,

With a cane and an old handbag.

A reality of sadness and hate,

Where too much in the world really matters.

The impending future.

The regretful past.

And the promise of death.