Kids

“Tag, you’re it!” rang in my ears,

But it came from my mouth,

While I chased you down to no end.

I didn’t stop until I damn near lost a limb.

You won it all fair and square,

But the taste of victory I needed just one more time.

I bent your arms, and you pulled my hair.

Your mother called your name.

Your cheeks burned the brightest red,

Wishing that she waited just a little longer.

I take in the image of you and your Tee-ball hat.

There’s something beautiful in being a kid.

Sometimes, I wished I was just as golden.

Your extraordinary mind kept me going.

The way you thought you knew more than me.

The sky was clear, and my childishness hadn’t yet been stolen.

I go back to my younger days,

Rekindling the storyline one last time.

You had a high school brother in a football league.

He spoke of chemistry because it got him the ladies,

And politics was all your father loved.

I stood tall with gum in my hair,

Saying that I’d own land somewhere

With my name written in the stars,

And success as big as my heart.

In time, you grew out of the alphabet.

I learned to play roulette.

You admire from afar,

Thinking, “She’s the one who got away.”

There’s still time to start over.

I bet there is a clean slate waiting for you.

There’s something beautiful in being a kid.

Sometimes, you wish you were just as golden.

My extraordinary mind blew you away,

But your skies turned from blue to grey.

Try traveling back to the younger days,

and rekindle the timeline for sanity’s sake.