those people
They could walk in the dark
And never return,
Never be missed.
Hide in their shadow-
I've heard life's safer that way.
Their legs won't carry them far anymore
But their heart floats on,
Like a piece of driftwood.
Where's the beacon they've
Been searching for?
They can't see it-
It can't shine on them
Cause they live life
Through a mask.
I've heard life's safer that way
Life's all a charade,
And prose, yet they have
Will to be done with it.
Never be missed.
The holes for their eyes
No longer let the sun in,
But they squint, looking.
Something bright
Something animate.
Their legs don't carry them far
Anymore, have they
Still got time to run?
Is there still time to live?
Those people?
Carly Findlay,
August/September 2000