I used to live in a place called childhood

With the air so warm and the sunshine bright

A dreamlike land that held no worries

A place designed for curiosity, wonder, and flight

 

One day the neighbors called me over to

Adulthood, the place right next door

My young self ventured over cautious yet excited

To the place I've always wanted to know more

 

The people there are older

moving on to their next phase too

Without a second glance they pass down the book of life

"Here." They say. "For you."

 

My young mind is excited

New parts of life that I'd never been included

Now sitting in my hands

Waiting for me to go through them

 

But as I begin to read the book they gave me

As I start to flip through its pages

Something doesn't seem to add up right

I think they've skipped over a few ages

 

There's no more time for playful learning

You must go get a degree

Why you ask? to get a job, to make a living

Afterall, living isn't free

 

But don't forget to learn the basics

If you fail to, you'll never catch up

Balance checkbooks, pay off loans, do taxes

Buy a car, buy a house, hurry up

 

Hurry up and write this information down

You only get so much time to read

Someone else needs to be passed the book of life

It's not our fault if you don't succeed

 

Sometimes I get a break from writing

and gaze out my window to the place called childhood

I watch the others run happily and carefree

Somedays I long to go back there if I could

 

But the book of life holds me down heavily

In place here I must stay

I must memorize the pages before my turn is over

There really is no other way

 

Although the rules in this book don't always please me

There's not much I can do

Everyone goes through this

It's just what adults are supposed to do