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November 1, 2004
Childhood
From AFE.
Childhood
When I was a child,
I'd laugh and play entire days
With shiny swords
Or in spaceships flying to the moon
That swept arcs in celestial dogfights against the stars.
And then I'd rise from the cloud of play;
Drop a knobby stick from knightly hands;
Or jump from the lawn-chair cockpit of my craft,
And run, grubby, to clean and loving arms.
Simplicity and creativity in play are wonderful things. I may not have said that as a child, waiting with eager anticipation for new toys at Christmas or tugging at my mother's elbow in the Kmart toy isle. But what do I remember now about my childhood? Very little about what toys I had. What does come to mind is a sense that my two brothers and I often had a lot of fun with very little: running around as fierce Indian braves with Mom's dinner napkins tucked in our undershorts or playing hide and seek long into warm summer evenings.
In our world today of mind-absorbing video games and mega toy stores, children have never had more to do, but perhaps are offered far less to be, to imagine, to create, to delight in and enjoy. To be sure, toys, thoughtfully given, can be a delight and a token of parental love. I am thankful for those that I received, but perhaps even more thankful for the oh so many that I desired but never got.
| By jackdas | 10:15 AM
Comments
happy birthday, brother.
j
Posted by: Anonymous at November 1, 2004 7:54 PM
