When I Was Ten

Way back when I was ten I lived a life lived at that time only by children My world consisted of my parents, of my books and of my imagination Adulthood was something which would not happen to me; an unknown destination Back then I did feel forced to cater to my duty Yes, school and homework bordered the linings of my young city A toil it was, to carry my heavy load everyday A toil so disagreeable, for I was the one with whom none would play! After school, I would sit and watch the cartoons They made me dream, for me they were like the mysterious balloons Those having the power to take me to places which existed not Those having the power to make me dream of realms shined by many moons Dreamed I back then of life made of the fantasy Dreamed I of the Evil Witch and the Beautiful Fairy Dreamed I of a world found beyond the rainbow There, where children remain as they are, even at the coming of tomorrow Sometimes I would sit and watch the rain How sweet it did make me feel Yes, rainy days turned me all gentle Yes, the flowing water would have me ponder on what it takes to be human Already was I was a loner Loving never the company of another Always chose I to keep to myself Always chose I to bury my nose in those books found on my shelf Lived I at that time in a loving family Was I always the pampered doll The one who filled up everyone's world The one who would choose first, her share of candy Of course, I played outside, in the gardens, Of course, I tried to catch butterflies and birds Of course, I had no smart phones, never heard of those even Of course, I thought stars would fall to Earth; I would hide them in my little haven I was a boyish gamine I was the ugly duck, who dreamed of being the golden swan Life on Earth did seem unfair But my imagination was there to make it all fair My heart did beat fast at those times For those lads who never knew of my flames Forbidden was love, though I knew that age did not matter Still, I chose to hide and spy on them from my hidden tower Life, way back at ten, was lovely Still innocent, my life back then is what I now do cherish merrily! Life, lived as a ten year old, Seemed to be though, for me, a thing so, so hard!