That boy

By Elijah Astute

I remember when the world was wide,
with barefoot dreams and open sky.
A heart so light, a laugh so true,
when every wish somehow came through.

I had hopes like stars at night,
I thought the future would be bright.
Small joys were much more than enough;
life was kind, life was soft.

I thought I’d fly, I thought I’d win,
I didn’t know this world I’m in.
I thought love stays, and friends remain,
I didn’t know the weight of pain.

Now life has taught me how to bow,
with lines of worry on my brow.
Adulthood whispers, “Fight, be strong”,
and childhood feels so far, long gone.

I fight for bills, I fight for sleep,
for promises I have to keep.
No more games under the tree:
now life is asking more from me.

And yet at night, when all is still,
I hear that boy so soft, so still.
He says, “We dreamed, we still can dream.
Life is more than what it seems.”

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