Eyes
These were the days
That made sad-eyed old women out of the girls
And mad-eyed old men out of the boys
Who went away
With petals in their uncut hair
With dreams sewn into their uniforms
With eyes that were clear and were bright
These were the days
That changed the eyes of the world
These were the months
That made breathless throats out of throats that breathed lightly
And dirty hands out of clean white ones
That used to hold pencils
That used to hold rulers to measure the length of a door
Can you measure the length of a hand?
Hands that used to be brown
Hands that used to be clean
Hands that were washed after digging in the dirt
Hands that are dirty after digging in the dirt
Can you wash with air?
Hands that are dirty after digging for life
Can you dig to save your life?
That changed the hands of the world
These were the years
That made pieces out of beautiful bodies
Was it beautiful to walk and run?
Was it beautiful to move and sing?
Was it beautiful to stand and lift your arms?
Was it beautiful to shoot?
Bodies that used to run
Bodies that used to move
Bodies that used to stand
Now they shoot
In these years, you will not use your arms to swim
Unless you are swimming up to get out
In these years, you will not use your feet to run
Unless you are running to get away
And perhaps you will be in pieces too
It was beautiful to swim and run
Did you swim did you run
Fast enough?
These were the years
That changed the body of the world
These were the days
That made sad-eyed old women out of the mothers
And mad-eyed old men out of the fathers
With letters and with radio reports
With newspapers and televisions
With petals dying
With seams ripping apart and dreams spilling out
With eyes that were not
c l e a r o r b r i g h t o r
s a d o r i n s a n e o r
l o s t o r p r o u d
With eyes that were
e m p t y
These were the days
That changed the eyes of the world
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