Oh, dear child scouring 

A dangerously tall tree 

Looking for nothing 

 

Bottoms of your shoes 

Scrape the weak bark, and it falls 

Too long of a fall 

 

Too long of a fall 

That anyone should endure 

If they wish to live

 

Oblivious child, 

When will you learn abou life's 

Limited offers? 

 

Daredevil you are 

Miniature stuntsman you are 

Do you know life's worth? 

 

You're never too young 

To do all of these great things 

This is your childhood 

 

Oh, child, still too young 

Too young to experience 

Lifeless existence 

 

Oblivious child, 

When will you learn that light does

Not last forever? 

 

Even now, the tree

Beneath your own feet decays

It's already grown 

 

You are still growing 

You take in more light each day 

That is life's offer 

 

It is not worthless

Every gift is valuable.  Yours 

Is precarious

 

It's held carelessly 

balancing on one finger 

The next branch you grab

 

Pulled as you uplift 

All of your weight on that branch

And your gift is glass 

 

Precious your gift is, 

But it expects special care 

From this careless child

 

Oblivious child, 

When will you learn that your life 

Is unpredictable?  

 

And then that branch breaks

Your precious gift shatters, but 

The birds still chatter 

 

They just fly away 

To a streetlight or a fence 

Nothing has happened 

 

Just a tiny mark 

Just a tiny rise and fall 

On life's seismograph 

 

Too long of a fall 

For this small, innocent child 

And yet should have known 

 

Should have been taught of 

Life's rise, climax, and downfall 

But still should have known 

 

The child had been taught 

Was taught numerous times, but 

Paid no attention

 

Oblivious child, 

When will you begin to see 

The fine print of life?  

 

There is a blackout 

A sudden pulse of life when 

The light does not shine 

 

You are unaware 

Of your loved ones around you 

Bringing you to light

 

Only a quick glimpse 

Away from all your loved ones 

Looking the wrong way 

 

No more memories 

The only things you can see 

Are things from the past 

 

And you fail to sense 

The lullaby just for you 

To keep you in peace 

 

Tension all around 

All their penetrating eyes 

Searching for a sign 

 

Scouring for one 

Like you scoured in the tree, but 

This has a purpose 

 

Trying to figure 

How the pieces of glass fit 

As they lie shattered 

 

Here, a dormant child 

Lies on hospital sheets 

Sheets a mournful white 

 

The red dies away 

Like a computer shuts off 

Slowly and calmly 

 

Oblivious child,

You finally understand 

The rules life plays by