Missing........... Poem by RIC BASTASA

you write about the past
children playing in the park
under the watchful eyes of
their mothers

you put their laughter inside
a paper and take them with you
in the house
as you reminisce about a dead
mother
light a candle and pray and put
the bag of laughter as flowers
in the altar of grief

the candle burns at night
until it consumes itself and you
dream for the future that it
may turn out good for all
the children to come.

the world will still be hungry
for the love of children.
it will thirst for laughter
in the park
it will miss those mothers' eyes
that watch and soon
will cry........