Monday 24 June 2013

On Growing Up


As children we sat and played
among the branches and the sticks
and the grass, so green and sharp,
between our fingertips.
From sunrise to sunset
beside the bubbling brook,
we children found treasures
where only children eyes would look.
The old stump log, now hollowed out,
the scary neighbors yard,
the fence that guarded the cow pasture
that told us we’ve gone too far.
The secret pacts we made
to swear our friendship for all time,
like grass into the earth,
our roots can’t come undone.
But summer warmth lasts
only til August comes and goes
and so with falling leaves
our age and height both grow.
New beginnings, some farewells
as grass turns cold and brown,
realizing our childhood
has almost come and gone.
Now far from the barefoot fields
our tiny feet once roamed,
we search of what it qualifies
to build a happy home.
But once we have all we ever
dreamed to be complete,
we forget how to
appreciate the little things.
The sound of rushing water
against rocks runs dry
and the fireflies we caught
have all dimmed their lights.
Time to return to the fields
we once had known.
Let us pack our bags
and make the journey home.