There’s a darkness over this land
even in the midday sun.
July may be warm and the children off school
but their diurnal play, the boisterous shouts
and brief tears of drama
leave me cold.
I’ve seen through this shadow of impermanence,
the frail beauty and cheap happiness of now;
they carry the seeds of sorrow and my remembrance.
It’s all that’s left of me

copyright Leofwine Tanner 2019