The children are gone
Swallowed by their own ebony minds
And torturous nightmares,
That don't end with the fluttering of eyelids
And rising sun.

The children are gone
Drowned in a sea of
Pensive mornings, dolorous afternoons
And melancholy evenings;
Lost forever in the depths of sorrow.

The children are gone
Consumed by their desire to grow old too fast,
Delusion has lead them to their demise
If only they had been warned.

The children are gone
Never to return.
Trampled hearts and abandoned dreams
Lay discarded where small feet once danced.

The children are gone
Every candle blown out was another shovel full of dry earth;
They dug their own graves with ignorant smiles etched in their faces.
Each spoonful of cake, a taste of arsenic.
The children are gone
They lie in shallow graves in the cemeteries of our souls.
In their places stand empty adolescents
Drenched with dismay
Reeking of regret.


The children are gone
If only they had been warned.