Replaced

As time goes on,
We throw away our used toys
Without thinking, without wondering,
How does the toy feel?
Do they feel upset, angry, or hurt
When they are replaced?
As life goes on, we realize,
That we are the toy.
We are played with,
Loved,
And then,
In a moment,
We are replaced.
Left on a curb
Like trash,
We are unwanted,
For we've been replaced.
And we sit.
We sit in the cold,
In the rain,
In the wind.
We sit.
And we wonder
If we weren't good enough.
We wonder
If we were too big
Too small
Too loud
Too quiet
Too rough
Too gentle
Too kind
Or not kind enough.
We wonder
Why we were replaced.
Oh, it hurts.
We hurt inside.
But eventually we are picked up.
We are dusted off.
We are loved.
We are healed.
And maybe, this time,
We won't be
Replaced.
While time goes on,
We throw away our used toys.
But how do they feel
Once they know
They've been replaced?