Sandcastles

She is sitting in the sandbox
Talking to the trees
With tales full of solitude
Faint whispers in the breeze
Today she is a princess
Royal and pristine
Looking out the window
She is locked up and unseen
Sees herself above the moat
The castle sits atop a hill
Awaiting princes that do not exist
Where she is kept against her will
She hollers from the tower
Through the forest in her mind
Knowing soon they'll find her
In a sandbox, the whole time
The delusion lasted briefly
Her fingers dig into the sand
She hopes to find the body
At a grave site she now stands
The tombstone is eroded
She drops down to her knees
Birds take off and ravens caw
Sudden rustle in the leaves
A little boy walks toward her
Big brown eyes and shaggy hair
Moving closer to embrace her son
Grasping hold of the thin air
She calls his name out hoarsely
Digging furiously in the sand
Determined to unearth him
Bloody nails sting her hand
Her parents stare in horror
Their weekly visit held inside
The orderlies must intervene
They hear her "Come back, please don't hide"
She is held down and sedated
Three grown men must take her down
She is buckled and restrained
Searches for a body never found
Her parents lost a grandson
The boy just drifted into the sea
Their daughter never gave up hope
Nor did she let go, stuck in grief
The memory is locked in place
With flooded guilt she's paralyzed
They went out to the beach one day
That's when she let him slip her mind
She is alone inside her thoughts now
They drag her by, she's in a daze
She hears his voice, and knows she's not alone
She floats among the crashing waves