Sometimes I wish I could go back
To my younger years
When magic walked the Earth
And all destiny rested in my dreams
Dreams that went beyond what was
To new untouched places
By me, you, anyone
Places deep inside our then tender hearts
Things weren’t particularly easy
Plenty of struggles with reality
But you felt what love was
Never more than a hug away
Things meant something back then
For their own sake, it seemed
Not because they helped you do anything
Or be anybody
Back then, dreams could overtake you
Grab you up in their big arms
Hug you like a bear
Shake you to life
We laughed and cried
Because they were the right things to do
Joy, as simple as a shiny red apple
Pain, just tiny scratches on a mountain
If you wished hard enough
Any day could be Christmas
Daily experiences outnumbered memories
So many lingering sweet first kisses
Days and nights were playmates
Not irreconcilable opposites or indecipherable dialectics
You said your prayers each night
You woke up happy in the morning
I go back once in a while
More and more as I grow older
And as life and death become equal partners
And goals give way to just being
Poetic Alchemist 