Part I: Introduction

In my life as an only Child

I have watched as others have grown,

I have been left eternally exiled

by The Children That I Have Known -

But in my unchanging world

I have also watched entranced,

At the wondrous world revealed to me

on nights When Children Danced.

These Children of whom I'm speaking

are of quite a different breed,

Not only have They survived...

But They've lived by a different creed -

Though both generations faced hardships,

pain, suffering, and of course strife,

The former chose to succeed in death...

and the latter (more bravely) in life.

Each of these living Children

is a testament to the strength of youth,

The power of friendship, of love, of hope,

and perhaps even a deeper truth -

An unspoken understanding

that each is part of a greater whole,

A union of both emotion and spirit...

Joining body, and heart, and soul.

Each piece of this remarkable puzzle

is like harmony given depth, width, and height,

Each is a separate miracle...

Like a rainbow made of white light -

For the people behind the faces

are The Children That I Have Sought,

You may recognize Them from my descriptions...

But then again you may not.

I have given each Child a title

so as to protect His or Her reputation,

For They have only started Their quest...

And must each find Their own destination -

I've told the tales of The Children That I Have Known

And The Children That I Have Romanced,

But here at last are The Children I've Sought...

These are The Children That Danced:

PART II: THE GHOST CHILD

PART III: THE ARISTOCRATIC SOLDIER

PART IV: THE HAUNTING STRANGER

PART V: THE GENTLEMAN FATHER

© APRIL 1994 By Menes