Child's Play

I watch you play upon the stairs, Lost in your childhood games, Built by your imagination, With freedom and no restraint. Today you are a sailor, The captain of your ship, Sailing on the ocean sea, Procuring a long summer trip. You sing a song That you have loved, Words of an old lullaby, You sing a song on the stairs today, Singing loud—you’re not shy. The stairs are now a jungle, A land that you explore, With a monkey and a zebra, A tiger and a vicious wild boar. You pretend you’re on a skyscraper High up in the sky, Playing like you’re really there, And wishing you could fly. Once again, you’re hungry, Therefore, you stop and eat your lunch, You’ll be a chef in your own shop, There’s not much time to stop. The stairs are now a cherry tree In your own loved backyard, With grass and flowers, and bumble bees, Except in this tree, you cannot scrape your knees. The stairs yet again, a mountain top Reaching high into the sky, But all too soon, it’s evening time And now, no more time to climb.