Do you remember how it felt
to be in love with the world?
The simple touch of summer wind,
the voices of the girls
who came
running from the grade school
the moment they heard the bell,
full of life and energy
and rumors they could tell.

Do you recall the writing
that you read on the wall?
You knew that things were changing
as you ran down the hall,
but you
looked back for the last time
and gathered all your thoughts.
Scared to solve the puzzle,
to connect all of the dots.

Did you ever learn a thing then,
or just unlearn all you knew -
how to love a stranger,
or the innocence in you?
Did you
ever find the meaning
in William Blake's "The Lamb?"
We all must face the Lion,
lose, and join the ******.

And did you learn a lesson, child?
Did you face your fears?
Did nature run its brutal course?
And did you shed a tear?
I too have felt the Lion's teeth.
I too have felt his bite.
But never did I stop looking back.
And this is how we fight.