Round the Corner

Lightly do the carefree cries of kids carry on the wind As they cavort in the quad during recess. It is in such moments their trails of glory find expression While I struggle to remember vestiges of mine. All too soon the insidious worm will enter their souls, Cankering their innocence. Should we envy them their guiltlessness Or should we forewarn them Of the pitfalls ahead? Who will take the blindfold from their eyes To expose them to the stark impersonality of life? Nay, let them clutch at the straws of family, Friendship and hope Where the excesses of bitterness can be softened Unless betrayal removes even that. So I listen to the faint bursts of vocal energy And pray that their lives Will not run crooked But where they do The straight path will soon be found.