Childhood

By Marlon Rodgers @originalman

I remember playing,

I remember playing with toys,

Us as little boys,

We lived to destroy silence, we were creators of noise,

I'm remembering ripe yellow lemons and bright green hoses,

A bunch of us taking pictures, our little rascal poses,

Dee Dee's vegetable garden and Grandma's roses,

We stole action figures, and figured our actions justified the means,

This went on well into our teens,

I remember that November,

He died,

I didn't understand it meant forever

Until she cried,

Then we cried,

We were no longer boys,

Once creators of noise,

Now sat in silence

Some of us remain quiet,

Others became violent,

I am remembering childhood...

I also remember riding,

Riding bikes was fun,

We would ride for hours with our eyes ahead

And our backs against the sun,

It's like we were hypnotized by spinning spokes,

And shiny chrome,

Gone...

Pedaling past the pressures,

Our minds miles from home,

Everyday a new adventure, from stray dogs to street fights,

Only worry was to get back to the block before the street lights,

It never crossed our minds while crossing intersections,

But we watched each other's back like shadows and reflections,

I remember they took Bryant,

Risked his freedom

Defending our dignity

So in my eyes he's a giant,

I am remembering childhood...