Childhood Whims

Written by: Hannah Tayla Sampson

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Let us eat fat and glowing peaches

And let its juice drip down our arms.

Let us run up and down the beaches

And make sandcastles with our palms.

May our fingers never again tremble,

Intertwined in the sticky spiderweb of wet gum:

We never heeded the warning not to play

with things that have been in our mouths,

like a huge crimson plum.

Oh, how easy our smiles would assemble

on our faces as we kept mum

to dodge the dread of the fiery leather

upon our soft bums.

Let us wipe our athletic noses on our sleeves when we cry

And stay up late to see our neighbours swim in their pool

Without the shame to spy.

Let us slurp our milk

And blow bubbles in our coke.

Let us stare in wonder at the shininess of silk

And randomly imitate hadidas with an innocent croak.

Let the mud splatter with each stamp

Let us share our secrets around a lamp

May our childhood be forever an adventure,

A hearty and delicious delight

Mingled with hills, dragons and sword fights

But still

Of the purest light.