A little boy plays with toys.
A friend, even younger than he, follows him around.
The boy holds two superheroes in the air; makes sound effects.
The girl watches, adding her dolls to the fight.
They laugh and smile, two children with hearts of gold.

A few years later, both children are in school now.
A small boy plays tag; a smaller girl chasing him is “it”.
The boy is fast, the girl is faster.
The girl laughs and screams and runs from the new “it”.
They run and play, two children with hearts of gold.

More years pass, both children are in middle school now.
A boy stands alone at a school dance,
A girl notices her friend’s tears.
The boy turns to leave, the girl holds out her hand.
They smile and dance, two children with hearts of gold.

A few more years go by; both children are in high school now.
A boy sits on a bench at a park, a ring at his feet.
A girl walks by, puts it on.
The girl wipes his tears, he holds her tight.
They sit and think, two children with tarnished hearts of gold.

A few months pass, both children are going together.
The boy orders her around, shouts and locks a door.
The girl whispers no then screams it.
The boy grins and stares at the bruises on her arms.
They aren’t children anymore; they don’t have hearts of gold anymore.

The girl walks out hours later, goes home and cries.
The boy thinks of what he’s done, finds a lawyer, sits and lies.
The girl doesn’t know where things went wrong,
The frown on her pretty young face doesn’t belong.
She’s still a child, he is too.
She has a heart of gold, torn and bruised.
She sobs and remembers a time of old,
When two children laughed and smiled with hearts of gold.