Tarzanelle

When I was a child, I read as a child, Imagined the world from a different place. I thought about people, events that were wild, But not quite so much about time, about space. I loved to read books by Edgar Rice Burroughs, But never considered his view about race. See, Greystoke, as Tarzan, ruled my brain furrows; I had no real context for things black and white. But as I grew older, my views of him narrowed, For much of the stories just didn’t seem right. They say what we read has an impact; it shapes us. I guess I see that in a different light. Big issues like race are not brought into focus; A kid reads for content, excitement, and pace. With age, some reflection can highlight the locus, Identify faults through a careful retrace. A fall from sublime to primordial slime, Where Tarzan once stood, now there’s just empty space; For that sort of story, I haven't the time.