A CHILD

by John Tustin

A child stands out on a ledge as the sun beats down

In horror and glory.

He stands alone.

A child kneels in the dark before a mirror

And then a windowsill,

The moon not smiling, snickering

Or sneering but oblivious.

He kneels alone.

A child lies folded up

Beneath the sky and her endless seasons

Of heat, cold, wind and rain.

He lies alone.

A child listens to music alone.

A child prays to ghosts alone.

A child feels the flutter of an angel’s wings

As he reaches out and touches nothing.

A child sits like a pile of dirty laundry.

The flies buzz and the heavens heave

Whether he wants them to or not.

He sits alone.

A child dies

And no mother

Cries.

A child

Dies

And no mother cries.

A child dies and no mother cries.