Child Play
As a ...
child I was carefree
played in the mud
football my hero
goals from the foot
teenager I had worries
imagined and real
twisted illusions
hands on the trigger
young man I searched
for a pearl in the shell
submerged in an oyster
cracked abalone dreams
midlife contender I built castles
fortresses and embrasures
aimed for dubious targets
carried quivers and arrows
midlife defender I proceeded
octopus in smudged mind
jellyfish in a broken soul
starfish bereft of shine
comet in waiting I flickered
pondered the milky way
approached reflections
condensed my approach
fading asteroid I wandered
questions unanswered
responses transcended
beginnings of ends
The path took me ...
to a compass with no needle
the chart lost on the way
with a pocketful of marbles
and a hole in my trousers
away into an underworld
a cess pool of promises
an anchor rising above
shredded sails on the mast
to a point of surrender
white flag crusted in salt
the earth as a rainbow
horizon in waves
a tool kit of memories
scraped knees once again
scabby wounds healing
shedding my score sheet
The aging child ...
needs no referee
no penalty zone
no final whistle
no chalk in the dirt
thrives in the mud
balls up or not
shelters a mussel
opens the drawbridge
back to the square root
equating adventures
the circle half finished
I pump up the ball
I moved a few goal posts
changed my position of play
removed strings from my boots
walk the pitch back to the roots
Childish or a bit wiser but carefree at last ...
16th May 2020
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