There Was A Time

How could youths better learn to live than by at once trying the experiment of living? - Thoreau

There was a time.

When the world was mine.

A stick my sceptre.

A treehouse my castle in the sky.

A meandering brook the only link to the past.

Chewing gum and blowing bubbles.

Not understanding the meaning of troubles.

Kicking cans down the street.

A wide-eyed smile for everyone I'd meet.

I caught snowflakes on my tongue and fireflies in jars.

Wondering why girls were different.

Baseball cards on clothespins flapping in the spokes of my bike.

Pretending I was riding a motorcycle in the breeze.

Running and jumping over hedges and fences.

Because I could.

Because I should.

Because youth and innocence would.

Yeah, there was a time ...

... when water turned to wine ...

Author's Note

"So near along life's stream are the fountains of innocence and youth making fertile its sandy margin; and the voyageur will do well to replenish his vessels often at these uncontaminated sources.: - Thoreau

Reviews

[R.E. Ray]

Pete, I remember fondly everything you wrote here! I remember so well the cards and clothespins, except we used playing cards from my mom's game box (and we were scolded when she discovered several missing from the deck). You've taken us on long journey in one brief, well crafted poem.

What I also take from this poem is not only a loss of innocence, but a loss of imagination. We get pushed into society's round and square holes, and we surrender our creativity. I recall Emerson also spoke about this briefly in his essay, Self Reliance. Of course, Thoreau captured it as well as anyone. Exceptional poem, Pete.

[Pete]

excellent synopsis r.e. lol about the cards from your mom's game box. spot on about emerson's and thoreau's observations. they best understood this and fought to go their own way in an overbearing society. they were ahead of their time for sure. thanks for sharing thoughts ... :)

[R.E. Ray]

You’re welcome.

[Julie McCarthy (juliesp..]

We had a hedge up to my waist and me and my sister would run down the path past dads tomato vines inhaling the tomato dust stuff he put on and do high jumps etc over it landing on our freshly mowed grass under the basketball ring post then we’d play goals I was goalie in netball she was centre till tea time when mum called us from the always open bathroom wind up window on a hot Sydney summers afternoon after school
Thanks for jarring my memory back xx great poem
Ps my grandfather whom we lived with always said these are the best years of your life we shrugged didn’t believe him couldn’t wait to grow up lol

[Relic]

I felt like you were talking about me in this. I too had the baseball cards in the spokes and jumped over fences. I remember someone saying to me once - if only we could realize and know how good we had it back then. -

But the funny thing is, we did know. That's why it's so sad to be older sometimes. We can't go back again when life was carefree and we could imagine being whoever we wanted with no real repercussions.

I enjoyed this very much. Great poem.