Once, in a garden where laughter reigned,

Children played, and joy remained,

The air was sweet with endless bloom,

A world untouched by shadow or gloom.

Time, a thief, in stealth did tread,

Among the flowers, their petals shed,

The vibrant greens turned to russet and gold,

Stories of love, now left untold.

The winds of change, they whispered low,

Through branches bare, where crows now crow,

A chill set in, the warmth withdrew,

And the garden's heart knew winter's cue.

Seasons turned, and time did wear,

The vibrant hues to shades more bare,

Laughter faded into silent echoes,

As life's relentless tempos rose.

Walls grew around the sacred space,

Guarding memories time can't erase,

And within the fortress I had known,

Where there once was softness, now all had turned to stone.