Thinking back to those golden times,
Of youthful ignorance,
Playtime seemed to last forever,
And imagination wasn't judged.

The days when uniqueness shone,
And playful foolishness,
Kiss chase was only just a game,
And fun was never lacked.

When boyfriends gave you cooties,
Laughing was endless,
And school rubbers were printed saying
"Say no to the drugs".

But the things get more appealing,
When puberty comes to call,
Forgetting things you did the night before,
Becomes a reckless habit.

Orange juice is forgotten,
Water is replaced,
By similar looking substances,
With a different side effect.

The sweets still give you rushes,
With one slight difference,
Whilst one gives you sugar,
The other will soon cause regret.

When rubber was used for balloons,
Which would often burst,
You could always blow up another,
And the problem would be solved.

When we shared our baths with siblings,
Just to get ourselves clean,
Now that has a different meaning,
When a bath is meant for two.

Children pine to be older,
To grow and to be noticed,
Adults pine for time to stop,
As age numbers ascend.

Endless questions of the future,
Thrust into your hands,
To choose the rest of your life,
How do you handle that?

Different compromises,
Different planes,
Made by ones own self choice,
Their own decision, their self made fate.