Works

Vain
© 2004, Roy Stucky

They swing among the youth,
Catch at hearts that feel.
Savage hunger seeks
Blood transferring meals.

They envy though they mock,
Covet though they sneer.
Their fist held rock would strike
Face reflecting fears.

And then they trust to be smug,
And then they dare to be vain.
And then they look at everything true
With a pose of disdain.

Now they act like they're grown,
That you're a child to come clean.
But the horror distorting their face
Reflects the fate of their dreams.

The years they've lost increase
Willingness to steal
Some tender thing to fill
Voids that never heal.

They seek the precious life
Just to tear it down.
They mock what they can't hold -
Spit upon the crown.

And then they trust to be smug,
And then they dare to be vain.
And then they look at everything true
With a pose of disdain.

Now they act like they're grown,
That you're a child to come clean.
But the horror distorting their face
Reflects the fate of their dreams.