" Keep Out of Reach of Children" - Bahamas AI Art
©A. Derek Catalano
A poem about not only guarding children from harmful substances and objects but to also guard them, as best we can, from the many dangers of the world and their encounters with everyday life, yet still allowing them to explore and grow with proper guidance.
Keep Out of Reach of Children
I. Fragile Worlds
Keep out of reach of children,
For the world is brittle glass.
A teetering tower of dangers,
Shimmering, sharp, and vast.
Curiosities that glimmer,
So easily to grasp —
Yet hidden in their splendor,
Are shards that tear and slash.
They do not see the fractures,
Where innocence may bleed.
In wonder's bright reflection,
They see what they believe.
But behind each sparkling surface,
Behind every bright disguise,
Lurks the razor of temptation,
And shadows filled with lies.
II. Of Bottles and Blades
Keep out of reach of children,
Bottles labeled in crimson ink,
Elixirs bitter and burning,
Poisons pretending to be drinks.
They reach for radiant liquids,
Neon-bright, deceiving hues,
Not knowing one small mouthful
Could steal their dreams, their views.
Knives on cluttered counters,
Gleam cold beneath the light.
In their hands, these slender daggers
Turn games to endless night.
They grasp without a second thought —
A weapon dressed in steel.
A slip, a fall, a sudden cut,
Becomes a pain that never heals.
III. Wires and Screens
Keep out of reach of children,
These threads that snake and spark.
Wires whisper electricity,
Lightning coiled in dark.
They reach with tiny fingers
To pull, to twist, to test.
One moment of forgotten caution
Can leave a heart at rest.
And oh, the flickering screens that glow,
With voices sweet and sly —
Cartoon colors mask the fangs,
And shadows know to lie.
A labyrinth of twisted truths,
A web that snares the mind.
What they see may seem like magic,
But there's darkness there to find.
IV. Words Unspoken
Keep out of reach of children,
Are words that shouldn’t spread.
The secrets whispered behind closed doors,
The fears that fill our heads.
They mimic us like echoes,
They parrot what we say.
But a careless phrase, a cruel remark
Can scar a heart to stay.
A word like fire ignites the air,
Leaves tender trust betrayed.
Some wounds are inked on paper skin,
And never fade away.
Protect their ears from careless hate,
And stories soaked in spite —
For once their hearts are set ablaze,
The world is never right.
V. Streets and Shadows
Keep out of reach of children,
The streets where shadows loom.
Where strangers wear their friendliest masks,
And kindness hides in gloom.
The pavement pulls them forward,
A path they long to roam.
But danger waits in alleyways,
To steal their way back home.
Teach them of the faces
That smile, but mean them harm.
A wolf that wears a woolen coat
Will never raise alarm.
Hold tight their wandering footsteps,
For innocence is brief.
One step too far from loving eyes
Can end in lasting grief.
VI. Fires and Fears
Keep out of reach of children,
The flame that tempts and dances.
A flicker of untamed desire,
That grows with second chances.
They marvel at its beauty,
Its warmth and amber hue.
But fire feeds without remorse,
And takes more than its due.
There’s fire, too, within their hearts,
Bright embers of belief.
Guard them from the winds of doubt,
That whisper cold and brief.
For hope, once scorched, is hard to tend,
A phoenix hard to tame —
Protect the fragile sparks inside,
And feed the steady flame.
VII. Love and Letting Go
Keep out of reach of children,
Yet teach them, too, to climb.
We hold them close, but they must learn
To stretch beyond their time.
For dangers do not vanish,
Though hearts would wish it so.
In shielding them from every storm,
They'll never learn to grow.
So build them walls of wisdom,
Yet windows to the sky.
Keep out of reach the deadly things,
But never clip their why.
Let them ask and let them dream,
But guide their fragile feet.
For innocence must dance with strength —
A melody bittersweet.
Keep out of reach of children,
The perils sharp and deep.
But never hide the light of life
Where courage learns to leap.
I. Fragile Worlds
Keep out of reach of children,
For the world is brittle glass.
A teetering tower of dangers,
Shimmering, sharp, and vast.
Curiosities that glimmer,
So easily to grasp —
Yet hidden in their splendor,
Are shards that tear and slash.
They do not see the fractures,
Where innocence may bleed.
In wonder's bright reflection,
They see what they believe.
But behind each sparkling surface,
Behind every bright disguise,
Lurks the razor of temptation,
And shadows filled with lies.
II. Of Bottles and Blades
Keep out of reach of children,
Bottles labeled in crimson ink,
Elixirs bitter and burning,
Poisons pretending to be drinks.
They reach for radiant liquids,
Neon-bright, deceiving hues,
Not knowing one small mouthful
Could steal their dreams, their views.
Knives on cluttered counters,
Gleam cold beneath the light.
In their hands, these slender daggers
Turn games to endless night.
They grasp without a second thought —
A weapon dressed in steel.
A slip, a fall, a sudden cut,
Becomes a pain that never heals.
III. Wires and Screens
Keep out of reach of children,
These threads that snake and spark.
Wires whisper electricity,
Lightning coiled in dark.
They reach with tiny fingers
To pull, to twist, to test.
One moment of forgotten caution
Can leave a heart at rest.
And oh, the flickering screens that glow,
With voices sweet and sly —
Cartoon colors mask the fangs,
And shadows know to lie.
A labyrinth of twisted truths,
A web that snares the mind.
What they see may seem like magic,
But there's darkness there to find.
IV. Words Unspoken
Keep out of reach of children,
Are words that shouldn’t spread.
The secrets whispered behind closed doors,
The fears that fill our heads.
They mimic us like echoes,
They parrot what we say.
But a careless phrase, a cruel remark
Can scar a heart to stay.
A word like fire ignites the air,
Leaves tender trust betrayed.
Some wounds are inked on paper skin,
And never fade away.
Protect their ears from careless hate,
And stories soaked in spite —
For once their hearts are set ablaze,
The world is never right.
V. Streets and Shadows
Keep out of reach of children,
The streets where shadows loom.
Where strangers wear their friendliest masks,
And kindness hides in gloom.
The pavement pulls them forward,
A path they long to roam.
But danger waits in alleyways,
To steal their way back home.
Teach them of the faces
That smile, but mean them harm.
A wolf that wears a woolen coat
Will never raise alarm.
Hold tight their wandering footsteps,
For innocence is brief.
One step too far from loving eyes
Can end in lasting grief.
VI. Fires and Fears
Keep out of reach of children,
The flame that tempts and dances.
A flicker of untamed desire,
That grows with second chances.
They marvel at its beauty,
Its warmth and amber hue.
But fire feeds without remorse,
And takes more than its due.
There’s fire, too, within their hearts,
Bright embers of belief.
Guard them from the winds of doubt,
That whisper cold and brief.
For hope, once scorched, is hard to tend,
A phoenix hard to tame —
Protect the fragile sparks inside,
And feed the steady flame.
VII. Love and Letting Go
Keep out of reach of children,
Yet teach them, too, to climb.
We hold them close, but they must learn
To stretch beyond their time.
For dangers do not vanish,
Though hearts would wish it so.
In shielding them from every storm,
They'll never learn to grow.
So build them walls of wisdom,
Yet windows to the sky.
Keep out of reach the deadly things,
But never clip their why.
Let them ask and let them dream,
But guide their fragile feet.
For innocence must dance with strength —
A melody bittersweet.
Keep out of reach of children,
The perils sharp and deep.
But never hide the light of life
Where courage learns to leap.
©A. Derek Catalano/ChatGPT
