“When Sidewalks Were Castles”

When sidewalks were castles and chalk was our crown,
We ruled over kingdoms from block to playground.
The skies held our secrets in clouds drifting by,
And puddles were portals to blue-buttoned skies.

We chased after summers on sun-dappled feet,
With shoelaces trailing and ice cream half-eaten.
Each scraped knee a medal, each freckle a prize,
We dared every moment, with wide-open eyes.

Tree forts were towers where dreams took their flight,
And bedtime was battle with stars in the night.
We whispered of monsters, then giggled with glee,
For nothing could harm us—not under that tree.

Our pockets held marbles, or maybe some string,
A pebble, a feather, a lost plastic ring.
The treasures of childhood, so simple, so small—
But oh, how they mattered, when we were so tall.

Now years blur like water on sidewalk chalk lines,
But I still hear echoes in childhood’s confines.
So here’s to the laughter, the dirt, and the sun—
The best kind of magic is made when you're young.