Once upon a time
When I was more boy
Than girl
I spent many golden days
Playing make-believe
And riding my bike
Along quiet rural roads
In the company
Of my two best friends.
Johnny and I
Were of an age,
While Jimmy was
One year older,
And where one would go
The others would always
Follow,
Three peas in a pod,
On neverending adventures
Both grand and small.
There were the ponds
Where we caught minnows
And brought them home
As pets,
And the old civil war cemetary
That inspired many a ghost story;
But most fascinating of all
Was the cow's boneyard
Deep in the woods
We were told never to enter;
But we did,
And more often
Than our parents needed 
To know!
Then time brought changes
To the fabric of our friendship,
Changes they felt first, 
And I became stupefied
And impatient
As they fought between them
To carry my books
Home from school.
I didn't understand 
What was going on
Until that day
On the bleachers
Of the touch football field
When Jimmy ardently professed
His love for me
And I nearly fell
As I raced away
In horror!
Now I look back with affection,
And some regret,
As I wonder where they are.
Did they follow their father's footsteps
Into military careers?
Did they happily marry
The women of their dreams?
And do they ever remember
The tomboy-girl
With whom they shared
Those fleeting innocent days
Of childhood?