Poem (Illustrated) - Ava's Lament

Ava's Lament

Gone are the places where once I did roam

Gone is the laneway beside my old home

Gone are the night times of silence and dark

Gone are our picnics in Wellington Park.

Gone are my neighbours, my family, my friends

Gone are the summers that seemed without end

Gone are the whispers that swept through the trees

Gone are the children who went were they pleased.

Gone are the shorelines stretching for miles

Gone is the harvest heaped up in great piles

Gone are the days when dogs were not tied

Gone is the horse upon which I did ride.

Gone is the schoolhouse with rooms one and two

Gone are the boots that fit over our shoes

Gone is the farmer who slaughtered his pigs

Gone is the barn dance and gone are the jigs.

Gone is the girl with the penny bright eyes

Gone are the sayings that once were deemed wise

Gone are the men folk who stood over me

Gone is the time when admission was free

Gone are the fields in which nothing was built

Gone are the gatherings for stitching a quilt

Gone are the cellars full of bottles and jars

Gone is the age for wishing on stars.

                            - Ava Darling