Casually caressing
the comedy of life
A child knows not
tragedy’s strife.
There is always another dream
toy        or friend
for their fetal-esteem.
They spell their grammar
with candy and curiosity
while maintaining a history
in smile and laughter.
The heroism of Joe
        the G.I.
and the beauty of a Barbie
are created impulsively and
fueled by imagination and apple juice.

A bike is not
a means of transportation
but rather
meant to be raced and jumped.
******-Doo
and the ****** Tunes should
rule Saturday mornings
from their throne in the tube.
Monkey bars and playgrounds,
are not merely a facility
to upkeep physical activity.
Instead
it is a kingdom of escape
engineered by make-believe
funded by risk-taking
and motivated by the
eradication of the cootie-plagued
and ****** pickers.

Where did time go,
when these bones grew old
this brain grew dull
and these hands lost their callus?

The world is cruel
for the elder mind.
Yet, for our youthful kin,
Society does not exist
in coloring books
and world peace is only found
in imagination and apple juice.