I'm thinking of a far simpler time,

Years before I penned this rhyme,

I'm thinking of hopscotch, cookies and strawberry laces,

Friendship bracelets, giggles and smiley faces,

Daisy chains, roly polies and fish fingers spring to mind,

Back when the world, exciting and innocent, was kind.

Though now I am (a little) wiser and older,

I wish I could go back to that little girl and hold her,

Tell her to treasure each memory, live in the moment,

Embrace the scary and new with excitement,

Because soon time slips seemingly past,

No stage in life meant to last.

Now I am driving, have expenses and full-time work,

And being sensible (most of the time) seems to lurk,

I sometimes have to pinch myself and get some perspective,

For who life blesses with prosperity can be unfairly selective,

Unlike me some people's adult lives are plagued by poverty or forced marriage,

Blighted by abuse, discrimination, war, or victims of a justice miscarriage.

Now I'm still at the beginning, barely past twenty,

And I'm sure in my next decade they'll be fun aplenty,

For just because my childhood has been and gone,

The sun will shine as it has always shone,

For despite people's new expectations and my sudden responsibilities,

Lucky for me, my future is still bright, blessed with possibilities.