Remember When . . .

Remember when you could walk to school

And stay out until supper-time

Ride your bike from here to there

And get there anytime

 

Remember baseball gloves on handle bars

No helmets of any sort

And playing pickup games

All day long . . .

 

I long for a day when my girls

Could enjoy the youth I had

Times have changed

And things are different

 

They need busses or rides to school

The safety zone has shrunk to suffocate

Now it’s a cell phone call

If Mom or Dad is running late

 

We used to play outside, all day

In neighborhoods, not “Hoods”

We had playground disputes

Settled with a stare down or bloody nose

 

What has happened on our streets?

That we guard ourselves from those we meet

Our kids are sheltered

Beyond belief

 

They need wind to soar

Freedom comes in many forms

A bike, a street, a new friend they meet

A bus, a trip, a paddle or oar

 

The time may be coming soon

When a difference needs making

For all it is we’re under-taking

 

National debt, beyond relief

Healthcare, foreign compromise

It’s time . . .

Can we stand United?

 

                                                                D. Carlson

 

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