It just doesn't seem like so long ago,
When the world seemed so large,
And I came to know,
That the possible experiences were
Surely endless for me;
The places that I could travel,
And the people I would meet,
The lessons to be learned,
And the gestures so sweet,
As I truly began to live.

I did indeed
Travel the globe.
I learned other languages
On the open road.
I grew my hair long
And wrote poetry,
And in those days you might say
That I was a hippie.

Relationships were deep,
As deep as could be,
And free love was experienced
Quite frequently.
Apologies weren't rendered,
And excuses not made,
We lived for the moment
And were never afraid,
That our choices might not be the right ones.

The advice of our elders
Seemed myopic to me.
I couldn't settle down
Yet continue to be free.
The efforts that my mother made,
Continually,
As she nagged at me incessantly;
"Find yourself a wife.
Please do it for me."
Was nothing short of
A conspiracy.

And yet here I am
As I approach fifty,
I have arthralgias, and myalgias,
And artificial knees.
The dreams of my youth,
Were solely that,
They were hopes for the future,
But that's not where I'm at.

I went to my Mom's
For a picnic today.
We had chicken and potato salad,
And we sat in the shade.
We talked about this
And a little of that,
She said; "Most of the grandkids,
Have turned out to be brats."

In my youth
There had been an energy,
But with my mother today,
There's a synergy.
If we stay too long
Out in the grass,
It won't be too long
Until we develop a rash.
You know I was once,
Whimsical,
And now I suppose,
That I'm cynical.
But the lesson for you,
Must surely be,
As you fight your own battles,
To be free,
Never waste a moment, deliberately,
Because, my friend,
One day you'll be just like me.