For A Fleeting Moment

For a fleeting moment
Everything was beautiful
Simplicity was in everything
In the child’s mind
Easy laughter, twinkling eyes
When sadness came
It was not because of war
Deception
Tyranny
Poverty
Hate
No.
It was because of a lost toy
Or when a runny nose came in the middle of winter
And Mama told you to stay inside

For a fleeting moment
Imagination came so easily
When the worst thing you could think of
Was of the monster underneath your bed
When creatures with wings
And dancing elves
Were so real
And mermaids slept on the rocks of your mind
For a fleeting instant
Yes, everything was beautiful
Like a new flower in the spring

But now things are so different
Fairies no longer exist
Elves have ceased to dance
Being a princess
And falling in love with a prince
Was no longer on her mind.
The simple days were gone.
But you wish they were still alive.
When you think of the dangers in the world
And wish you never left those carefree days
Wished you never grew up to face the tragedies of this world
But they are there
Everywhere
And now the worst thing on your mind
Was the possibility
That Dad might have to go to war
That Mama might lose her job
Oh, if only those days had not vanished
If only the mermaids hadn’t left the rocks
If only the unicorns hadn’t left the forest
But they were gone
And now the flower
That used to be so gold
Was trampled, wilted.
The beauty of the sunset could not stay for long
If only the beautiful things had been here
For more than a fleeting moment.