*

Where do they go, the faces of youth?
The smiles and laughter,
The sparkling eyes
And witty conversation?
They are lost in the silence
Of forgotten solitude;
Of endless days
And sleepless nights
When the mouth never opens
Except for tea
And pills that keep alive
The empty shell.

Where have they gone,
The minds that wander?
Back to the pastures of childhood
Or a first nervous kiss?
To the babe in arms
And its laughter,
Eye to eye in delight?
Or the last touch of lips
On eyes that have closed
And will not open;
Eyes that shared secrets
Of love and pain.

Where have they gone,
The blushing brides
And tall young men?
Are they forgotten
In the scent of lilies
And stale cigarettes,
Their faces, too weary
To hold their shape,
Reaching already for the grave
For want of a smile?
The sparkle lost
To desuetude.