The Price We Must Pay

I am lost, staring at the sky,

Like an artist's palette, colors merging, creating anew.

With wisps of breeze and a bloody dye,

Maybe just his leisure, but how patiently he paints you.

The sky embraces my view,

Bare of concrete, it lays,

No neon lights to spoil the hue,

And none to blame for its grace.

Stars, who thought they could outshine the sun,

By fear of ridicule hid before it came.

Unaware of the whirling storm in my cup,

I have been stirring my coffee, absently staring up.

A sugar cube struggled to float up,

Quickly melted down, despite its fight.

I ignored it and continued to gaze at the sky,

Away from the city, this seemed a delight.

These days, black clouds just float by,

Not like the old days, now nothing seems right.

I pushed away the newspaper, full of woeful plight,

And breathed deep in the cool air, far from the raging sun.

A small voice in my head said something is not right,

Man has been selfish, and all can’t be undone.

Soon, I will be trapped between air-conditioned buildings,

Engulfed by the hum of modern machinery and device.

Soon, I will be away from the birds and the springs,

All men have sinned, and all must pay the price.