Have you ever noticed that as a child
Summer vacation lasted three years
Everyday was a new experience
You found your friends
Hopped on your bike
And went wherever you wanted
According to your parents’ boundaries of course
As the years went on, however, summer got shorter
Responsibilities got bigger
Life got confusing and we tended to seek the negative
Rather than positive

Have you ever noticed that as a child
You appreciated everything
You waited up all night for santa clause
And it took your breath away when you saw
The presents under the tree.
As the years went on, christmas eve never seemed quite as big of a deal
you didn’t stay up quite as late
You slept in a little later
And the sight of presents under the tree got slowly
And slowly
More underwhelming

Have you ever noticed that as a child
You looked at the world as though it were a castle made of sugar
Not knowing how easily it could crumble
You stuck your tongue out,
Without fear
to taste how sweet it could be
Now, you’re almost too afraid to even get a lick of its sweetness
Because you know that if you twist your head the wrong way
The whole structure will tumble down and crush you
And you don’t know
If you have the strength to deal with that pain
Again

Have you ever noticed that as a child
Life was simpler
Less painful
Can’t we go back to the days of our childhood
Where the only jealousy that existed was
Of the kid with 72 pack of crayons
And the only pain that existed was
Scraping your knee falling off your bike
Where there were no regrets
And no one had experienced heartbreak
Where the opposite sex still had cooties
And life was still a mystery, waiting to be unraveled.

Have you ever noticed that every generation
Gets older a little quicker
Third graders with cell phones
And sixth graders with push-up bras
And belly button piercings
Childhood is not something we need to rush
In fact, its something we should savor
For as long as we possibly can
We should spend as long as we are able to
In a state of innocence
There is no need in life
To waste even one moment
Wishing time away.