Ruined Walls

The castle stood—proud, fragile,

moats carved by small fingers,

fingers that traced dreams

in wet sand.

Then a careless boot

pressed down—

a weight that didn't see,

a careless stomp that shattered

walls built on trust and salt.

Grains scattered like broken glass,

footprints drowned in foamy tide,

a ruin that no tide can mend,

and the kids, silent,

watching their fortress collapse

under a stranger’s careless steps,

watching the edges of their world

crumbled beneath careless feet.