Turning Backs

Indifference is the hardest blow

It is the wind and icy snow

That falls on green shoots as they grow

In winter when the spring's too slow

Indifference is the coldest hand

It is the wave that clears the sand

Of castles built by baby hands

Before the gulls come in to land

Indifference is the hardest ground

It is the stony silent sound

Of plainsong echoing unfound

Until their voices have left town