Stars of Youth

The maze of dark streets
Conceals
Minotaurs and harpies.

Row upon row
Of ghost houses
Forlorn,

Monuments
Of dreams
And hopes unborn.

But where are you now
And where has the world
Hidden you—

Surely now
You’re no Faust
Seeking forbidden truths?

So sad, a tale
Of alchemic lusts
Ending in Hell.

But not so us,
Though we tried,
My friend,

To pursue a star
That had fallen
Beyond the earth’s ends—

Yes, tried
To live lives
Beneath open skies...

But the stars of youth
Failed us,

Rising too far and too high.