I pass by the silent field at sunset
after the concert has ended and cold blue light
has filled the empty spaces
where head-bangers danced.
I see the forms stacked atop each other
soldiers on a war-torn battlefield
These are the homeless, drunk and bloodied
On life's disappointments.
They stayed too long at the party
Stewed on their own regrets
Baked on unfulfilled dreams.
They swelled, then burst with
unrealized potential and unwarranted pride
They drank too much of promise.
Bald, disrobed, neglected of sun's embace
They bask in the shadows
These former long-haired redheads
Who once defined youth and spontaneity
Laid out on the barren field.
"Get up," I want to shout at them
"Rock on,"
But when they stir
They simply cling to each other
Even wasted they lean in
Sharing their one hard-earned truth.
Neither dancing nor howling matter
In a life that's been husked
Only love remains.
