He was so generous, long ago:
He handed death to every child
Like lollipops: they grabbed at it
And gorged. He looked at them and smiled.
And though he craves the sugar rush
These days, he cannot take a bite.
His sticky hands are empty now
He dreams of sweetness every night.
Now that he’s old, he thinks perhaps
He gave away too much, too young.
He cannot get it from his mind:
That sickly taste upon his tongue.
Tom Juniper Poetry 