transient the day like her eyes ebb and flow to paths of least resitance her soft hand full of hopes releases them shatter on the hard slate but if one had flown if only one had flown but night overtakes her on hands and knees gathering with gentle tear each fragment and placing it in the coldness of its tomb like children of ideals wrought too soon they prematurely meet such dire ends but she is not one to surrender to odds and her strong tounge is razors to the whetted ear the barbs of its treaty with its gentle nature like spikes driven by brutal hammer in pouring rain no rest from the cold labour no break from the fast if only one had flown if only one had opened delicate wing to warm sun and with imperceptible beating wing carried itself upwards out of these shadowed times in shadowed lands if only one had flown i would not cry to you such lament but it is done the best of our age the bright jewels of our generation spent like crushed hopes on the cold slate if only one had flown if only one had flown