PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

I am grateful for having retained the eyes of my childhood.

For how often they have helped me to see

the world…the way it was created

the way it is meant to be. 

Today I’m grateful I’m still able live a life

like when I was a child dancing outside on a rainy day

smiling

laughing

arms waving freely

unafraid of getting wet

enjoying every raindrop

and ever step along the way.

On my walk this morning…I noticed the child I used to be

who, it seems, has been sleeping all these years…decided to take a walk with me.

I said, “Hello!” to my young self…from a time when I was smaller…

He looked me up and down then said, “I thought you would be taller.”

Then he started asking questions…as a child his aged does… 

“Was chocolate ice cream still my favorite?”…”Yes”, I said, “it was.”

Questions came out rapid fire…of things I’ve long forgot…

Sometimes he waited for me to answer…often he did not.

What was I doing in Florida?  How did I get here from Ohio?

Do I ever miss the change of seasons or playing in the snow?

Did I become a football star?  Do I still love climbing trees?

How are my brothers doing? Do I still eat pizza with lots of cheese?

Do I still like skipping stones on lakes and rivers and streams?

Am I still scared of the dark?  Do I still know how to dream?

Do I live in a big house? Does it have a pool? Do I drive a fancy car?

Do I have friends…a family. Do I still makes wishes on the stars?

Why are there so many wrinkles on my face?  Why is my beard so grey?

Even though I’m older now…do I still find time to play?

On and on his questions came…and as quickly as they flew past…

I did my best to answer them as fast as they were asked.

I can’t remember all he asked…so many question in one walk he crammed….

But his final question was, “Are you happy?”…to which I smiled and said…”I am”.

“Then I am happy for you.” He said before he jumped back into my dream….

“And I’m really glad to know…you still love your pizza and ice cream.”

All my life I’ve been blessed to be in the unique position of watching children play.

From when I was a recreation aide in high school, to being a parent

then a teacher and now, in the bookstore, old and grey.

When children play together…it matters not what entertainment they might choose

whether it be their imagination or a particular sport or game…

What I’ve observed throughout the years is how most children play the same.

They laugh, they share, they jump, they run…without a care for the colors of each face

They sing, they dance, they hold hands with one another…

unaware or unaffected of politics, religion or race.

Within this same timeframe…high school, parenthood, being teacher

and now, in the bookstore, old and grey

I’ve watched how some of those same children, now adults, 

have forgotten how they use to play.

Forgotten how to laugh and share…and jump and run

without a care for the colors of each face…

Forgotten how to sing and dance and hold hands with one another

unaware or unaffected of politics, religion or race.

And as I watch adults across the world 

forgetting or ignoring their childhood lessons more and more every day

I pray for the day they will remember…the way they use to play.

I pray these adults will look out on the world…a world they helped to create

a world filled with suffering, havoc and woe

then look in the mirror and ask themselves…where did that child go?

And decide then and there the best way to fix a world that is so far out of whack…

would be start with the person they’re looking at…

and bring the child back.