There used to be Children

There used to be children here

but they melted

like snowmen on a

warm winters day,

vanished into the

parched , thirsty earth,

as they burst out

into the dark morning

startled by the falling snow

oblivious to its hidden agenda

There used to be children here....

Reviews

[Ed Hart]

yes, we turn them into adults, pretty much a total loss; but, what-the-hell, it happened to us...i am immediately attracted to the broad reach and thoughtfulness of your poetry

[John]

The poem is an eerie evocation of our great fear surrounding the disappearance of children and perhaps, less dramatically, the loss of innocence. It is part lament, part warning, and the repetition of the first line suggests that the tragedy is likely to be repeated; one could add with every generation. A marvellously atmospheric piece.

[...]

~ very eerie... dramatic and effectively so...
~ you're a master at your craft, dear shelley...
~ the way this poem begins and ends is powerful...
~ that space before the last line works really well too...