Once

Floating on the pond was the green lily
Now, it has perished: dissolved in the fumes of industry.

The smell of chocolate filled my home,
Now, I hear all but the sweet scents of the past.

Outside was the hummingbird, singing to the sequoias,
Now the raven lurks in the jungle-like branches of the hawthorn.

The apples were juicy green,
Now, as blue as poison itself are the very stems.

The wind whooshed wildly with the scatter of leaves,
No more do I listen to the hymns of the seeds.

I watched the fishers in the morning, eager to make a living,
Now, no ships, no boats, no sail in the morning.

There was the merry men roaming the streets,
Now, no roaming, no peace.

My thoughts flew freely,
Darkness shadows my muse.

Traveling the mountains was the pack of wolves,
Now, only silent winds whistle through the cliffs.

There was the overflowing waters of the river,
Now, the river banks, arid as the cactus.

I was going home, back to the place that embalmed me in memories,
Now, that home is long gone, into the abyss.

I used to remember,
Now all I see: darkness.