Life was simpler then
The only device we carried around
Was a game boy pocket
Connect the cord
Trading Pokemon under our desks
Don’t let the teacher see
Oh, we had tv, radio, computers and even portable technology
But it was far from everywhere
All we had to do was step outside
For recess and, though we couldn’t physically leave, we were FREE
Freer than we are today? Maybe
Life wasn’t without stress though
Shyness, nervousness, the fear of not being accepted by our peers
Both the light and the dark sides of tribalism had a hold on us
Sun shining
Imaginations brimming over
Fun and games
Interspersed with sometimes singling out the weak or vulnerable
I’ve been on both sides
More teasing than vicious
Yet still traumatizing for fragile souls
Oh, where do we find solace?
How can I blend the simple joys of childhood
With the small bits of wisdom I’ve gathered since?
There’s no going back
Time spirals in cycles
This time around
On a new layer of the spiral
I reach across the curve of events
Grabbing those simple joys I’ve left behind
For, paradoxically, that will allow me to let go
Somewhere beneath the physicality
Beneath the beliefs and hand-me-down identity
There is a core of being
An indescribable essence that permeates all
Through looking back, we really look within
