"Takes a lifetime to build, but a moment to destroy"

Another piece from a dusty booklet...

I'm not sure where I picked up this quote, but I gave it some thought and here's the scenario that came to mind.

“Takes a lifetime to build, but a moment to destroy…”

Papa, Papa
The little boy cries out to you for answers
Brothers killing brothers just to be gangsters
I saw ‘em last night pa, I saw what they did to johnny,
They shot him down pa, didn’t even take his money…
I thought you said that people stand together
That the pain we share binds us like leather
Papa, the men last night – I saw their faces
I saw ‘em pa, we’re from the same places,
Races, the man who pulled the trigger was no stranger
He’s one of us pa, now we’re in danger
I wanted to help, I wanted to scream for johnny
But I couldn’t pa, I knew that they’d find me
What do I do? What if they saw me!?
I can’t go outside pa, what if they saw me!!?
I’m scared papa, scared of my people
I’m scared ‘cause when I look at them… I see me too.

Son, my dear son
An aging man tries to explain
Amidst hope and dreams there’s lots of pain
These are difficult times, you’ll start to see
Perfected, this world will never be
The things you saw my son, yes they are true
But I promise those men are not like you

His eyes tear up for he knows within
The reality of the things that he’s seen
His son before him, the grip of fear
The darkness within has begun to leer

Hear me now! you’re filled with light…
And for that light you’ve got to fight
Many we know have lost their way
Yet another innocent might have to pay
But we cannot cower or turn our backs
For evil grows where courage lacks

On deaf ears his words did fall
Once hopeful eyes had already dulled
So on his knees, his muscles tense
Unprepared, with no defense
The mists unite beneath his eyes
For in his arms an innocent cries…

Akin O.
October 2007

24

One of the poems I found in a dusty old booklet from way back when. I couldn't help but edit it... You can find the original piece here.

The sun rises, and then it sets
An age long path without an end
As it raises its head over the edge of the earth
Does it hold its breath for what it might find?

You see we measure our days in bits of 24
Millennia pass by, still bits of 24
Dark sins are dealt, we grieve for 24
And then we forget, and trudge on like before 

The sun has no use for the measure 24
What good's 24 when you've got much more
You’ve seen Rome fall, heard Vikings Roar
You’ve seen men fly, what is 24?

But for us without much time
Life makes more sense through eyes of 24
Death is far away, if you think in 24
We can do what’s important, not today, perhaps in 24

We know men die, in less than 24
To beat our pride, takes more than 24
I know I’m wrong, you need my help
And time is short, Just give me 24

And so we rise, and then we set
An age long path without an end
As we raise our heads over the edge of the earth
We hold not our breaths… the world’s the same as the previous 24. 

Akin O.
October 2007 | Edited November 2013