Pink Plastic Guard

Three cardboard squares tape-sealed in grey
You loaded up and pulled away
The floorboards hum without a sound
Just bare white walls and hollow ground

No lingering coats upon the door
No sudden footsteps on the floor
You left the gravel neat and clean
Except for two strange shapes of green

Stuck in the weeds beside the gate
Two crooked legs that carry weight
They stand in mud through winter rain
Refusing every inch of pain

Pink plastic guards upon the lawn
Staring right through the cold grey dawn
You took the future in your hands
And left two birds in no man's land
Pink plastic guards that never flee
Watching the ghost you gave to me

Their hollow beaks are turned away
From all the words we didn't say
The sun will bleach them pale as chalk
While silent shadows learn to walk

Stuck in the weeds beside the gate
Two crooked legs that carry weight
They stand in mud through winter rain
Refusing every inch of pain

Pink plastic guards upon the lawn
Staring right through the cold grey dawn
You took the future in your hands
And left two birds in no man's land
Pink plastic guards that never flee
Watching the ghost you gave to me

Nothing stays whole when seasons turn
Plastic is all that will not burn
You walked so fast to clear the frame
Leaving two clowns to bear the blame

Pink plastic guards upon the lawn
Staring right through the cold grey dawn
You took the future in your hands
And left two birds in no man's land
Pink plastic guards that never flee
Watching the ghost you gave to me

Still standing tall against the fence
Without a shred of common sense
Pink plastic guards
Pink plastic guards