On a cloudless mid-afternoon

I happened upon something

at first glance commonplace

But with unseen scrutiny

I found something extraordinary

Four children

two girls, two boys

all enjoying the release

from the rigors

of the First grade

They were playing a game

one of which we are all familiar

One hunter

and three prey

in a game of Hide and Seek

One boy volunteered

to stand alone

to cover his eyes

to count to twenty

and to proclaim "Ready or not... here I come!"

Before he began

his quarry chimed in unison

"Don't peek!"

and to this I found myself

compelled to observe

The boy stood firm

hands covering his eyes

The three ran, all in the same direction

around the corner

and out of sight

I watched this boy

who will one day become a man

as he dutifully made his count

He called out the numbers evenly

and his hands covered his eyes like stone

Oh the nobility

Oh the valor

Oh the innocence

in this simplest of choices...

He did not peek

For all those adults

that believe that their cunning

is justified

in taking unfair advantage

of the people in your world

Remember this boy

Remember his act

Remember his lesson

taught to us

because he knew no other way

Be now honest

Be now true

Be now fair

Be now kind

Be now a child once again

For experience is not true wisdom

deviance is not truly clever

and knowledge holds no true power

without the nobility

of this simple gesture of a child