We try to instill in them
Our judgement, and we trust
Our lessons will stem
Their youthful lust
For danger and dare
And they'll be more like us.
Click photos to enlarge
We try to instill in them
The wisdom of our years,
And our far greater caution
But then we forget our fears.
We send our children forth
On steeds of rubber, plastic, and steel.
On commutes and chores,
We put them behind the wheel.
Sometimes they collide
With other metallic steeds,
Or with bridge abutments
Or guard rails
Or trees.
Click photos to enlarge
And lives lived in haste are hastily lost
In a few seconds of screeching tires
And rendering sheet metal.
Sudden death, answering to the cost,
The risk, borne by our young in disproportion
To that of their elders --
Largely only that of a few second's inattention,
Inexperience, or miscalculation.
Click photos to enlarge
And sometimes, in our grief,
We erect monuments as reminders
To passers-by
That the life of a child
Was lost on this spot.
Look here where they lie.
Be respectful.
This is where a child died.
Click photos to enlarge
|
Text and photographs
|
