Homeless

A home that lay abandoned
Its tenants strewn aside
The rust claiming its railings
The beauty locked up inside
The home that witnessed growth
Its own and ours as well
A time that was cherished
A story we'd love to tell
No tears can stop the burning
Of the eyes that cared to see
A floor that kept creaking
Like a dusty memory
Who stepped into the garden?
Have you seen the glorious past?
Felt dew dry up on petals?
Was it a spring that didn't last?
What floor suddenly caved in?
What pillar and post gave?
Mirage of a childhood
Under that cement grave
A hum in the splintering steps
That led to a heaven of pride
Who knew what was beyond that?
What secrets the sky would hide?
A tree may stand where once it had
A blade of grass may grow
But the winds will never sweep through
The familiar willows we know
We pass through the neighbourhoods
No scowls, and yet no smiles
A home that no one forgot
A dream faded by the while.
The children now build castles
On sands we’d once snuggle in
Grains of which we loved so much
Corners which we struggled in
The fence now shuts out a world
That once welcomed hearts abound
My home, my heaven, my streak of light
Now lies battered to the ground