The grass waved around me as I lay on a knoll,
Bemused by wonder as it caressed my soul.

Free.

Free to run, free to jump, free to  skip, and soar.
Watching the clouds, I didn’t want anything more.

Did I feel a man then
Innocent and dreamy eyed me?
Then, I barely even cared.

Time flows on, ceaseless, changing as the tide.
Ever ever on, trees bud, shade, shed, and hide.

Free.

Free to run, free to hide, free to cry and be alone.
Yet there it was, His name etched in the stone.

Did I feel a man then?
Fearful and lonely me?
Then, I barely felt anything.

I had to act, basking in an immense wave of duty.
The corpse of my childhood was a thing of beauty.

Free.

Free to grow, free to mature, free to finally measure up.
As I turned away I thought I felt as my heart close up.

Did I feel a man then?
Treasonous and cold me?
Then, I barely felt human.

Here I sit, with gray streaks coloring silver hair.
Wistful, gazing back, back when I didn’t care.

Free.

Free to sleep, free to rest, free to go back and never return.
Before I go give the hourglass one last turn.

How is a man measured?
Power? Wisdom? Actions?
Or is it the things he treasured?