AES334 Rainy Days When I Was Young

When I was young on rainy days,

Alone on my front porch I'd play.

I'd lose myself in another time

That I could create with my toys and my mind.

Tomorrow never mattered to me,

For that was where I would always be.

There would be no hurt, no pain, no tears,

There were no worries; there was nothing to fear.

But as I grew up and everything changed,

I realized that life was no easy game.

You lived by the rules that the outside world made,

And that feeling of safety would ultimately fade.

You walked a fine line as you faced every day,

Filled with constant surprises as you went on your way.

And your life could change in the blink of an eye,

And failure could come no matter how hard you tried.

You would fight many battles, as you tarried along.

Sometimes you'd be right, but more times you'd be wrong.

So many people you'd love and you'd hate,

But you had to keep going because life wouldn't wait.

And lost in that mess that you'd make every day

And behind all those senseless and stupid mistakes

Would be moments so splendid, so perfect and fine,

You would wish that they all could be frozen in time.

Cherished moments with family, the fulfillment of dreams,

Those brief special moments, and the boring routines.

The excitement of learning just who you could be,

And finding that happiness was not guaranteed.

Discovering, with relief, your niche in this world,

Achieving so much but still wanting more.

Through births and some losses, you'd survive on just hope,

Always searching for ways to escape and to cope.

And then there'd be love to nourish your heart,

And sadness and tears when that love fell apart.

You would go through the stages of life as they came.

You would grow up and grow old and constantly change.

You'd see beautiful things in this exceptional world,

The wonder and power of nature unfurled.

You would witness the kindness of our own human race.

But also the destruction and chaos we make.

Indeed as a child I had no real clue

About what was coming and what I'd go through.

And although I do miss that innocent peace,

I treasure each moment that brought me to me.

But still when it's dark and rainy sometimes,

My cozy front porch will come gently to mind.

And I'll long for a chance to just steal away

And curl up on that porch with my toys and just play.                                                                   

-Patricia A. Fleming-