There once lived a girl
Who dreamed of a world
And painted an escape
On a canvas of despair

There once was a boy
Who set fire to her dreams
And rose above her
A trail of smoke in his wake

And this girl became a woman
Woven of glass threads
Shattered by those she had trusted
Ruined, beyond repair

And this boy became a man
Razing the broken
Lifted upward on the ashes
Of those he had destroyed

The woman grew older
Gone were the fragile gossamers of glass
Replaced by cords of steel
She lived, and loved, and died

And he soared high,
A vulture searching for prey
And grew twisted, unrecognizable
As the boy he had once been

As the old woman lay on her death bed
The man, old as well, sought to find her
And she pitied him for his regret
For she had none

And the vulture of a man
Shed tears as she closed her eyes
For he knew
She spoke the truth.