smoldering castles in the sky

huddled in the darkness
children cry in tandem
stripped of all hope
as if they were remembering
their suffering in alcapella

an orchestra of rain drops
pitter-pattering city sidewalks
flooding sewer drains
with the screams of a lost brood
whose cries were too much
for even the darkest rot to bare

pale, dirty cheeks
streaming rain
screaming pain
the nuance of faith
beyond the reach of their tiny hands

would you look away?
have you?
is it better to silence grief
with a spin of the heel?
with the broadness of your back?

tell me a story
about castles in the sky
their gates too noble
too high
too cold
for the earthly agony
of fallen youth

I’ve got a key in my pocket
it echoes the one in yours
and it holds such power…
a power that smolders
heavenly thrones
and their apathetic gates;
sparkling
unreachable
distantly vague
and paid for by the smallest tombstones
that ever dared to dream of more

I’m knocking down doors
like dominos
because if a single one
should fall
those that follow
will fall
with even more conviction
until the prayers of trampled innocence
give way
to the greenest pastures
filled with dinky hands
bantam feet
giant hearts
and the very smiles
that dance on smoldering castles
in the sky