Caught a glimpse of my childhood hero
As he strutted along the path today.
He created pictures from words
Made this world come alive, with
A magic that has never matched.

As he swaggered past me today
He looked old, tired and grey
Snippets of songs, floated through my mind,
Stirring long forgotten memories
Made by the man I saw today, long, long ago.

There was a touch of aged slowness in,
The walk of the man I called hero,
What had happened to the, man I remembered
As invincible and beyond question
In that childhood world of mine?

And then I saw a wink, a twinkle,
A spark of dancing magic and
That mischievous glint,
In the icy clear blueness of the eyes,
Of the man
I am proud to call my childhood hero.

    ©  Nick Strong 2014