“When I was a child,
I talked like a child,
I thought like a child,
I reasoned like a child.

“When I became a man,
I put childish ways behind me.”

Except for cartoons, soap bubbles,
Rain puddles, pizza for breakfast,
Animal-shaped balloons,
Circus clowns, carnival rides,
Fun houses, puppy kisses,
Catching fireflies, leaf piles,
Hot chocolate after a snowball fight,
And warm hugs when tucked in at night.

Growing older may be inevitable,
But growing up is optional.

© 2005 by Robert E. Blackwell