The Elders Disappear

The mourners assemble
Black on black on black
Painting colorful teardrops
To the ivory skin of youth
Who observe many wooden boxes
Lower into a single massive hole
On a complex network
Of cables, pulleys, wheels, and levers
As each casket
Disappears into a mass grave
The children grow older
Their faces find cheer
Painted tears turn ivory
And one by one
The elders disappear