The sight of a smiling mother saying goodbye
The excited smiles of an eager boy
The tip of a fresh pencil on the first day of school
The chatter of children making friends
The early stages of childhood

The clouds in the sky on a bright autumn morning
The buzz of gossiping teenagers
The shocked look of a boy as his secret comes out
The laughter of a thousand mocking voices

The wax of a burning candle
The flames that consume a hallway
The screams of a trapped woman
The efforts to escape
The tears of a young man weeping over the ashes

The whispers of an old man in bed
The breath that escapes his mouth
The remainder of the light in his eyes
The heat of his weak grasping hand
The cries of a lonely son

The strength to get up in the morning
The sanity of a withering man

The weight of a prescription bottle
The gasps of an innocent mailman
The blare of an ambulance as it drives by
The fading consciousness of its passenger

The jagged lines of a heart beat monitor
The drone of a machine displaying an unchanging line