Beyond the Backyard
Ó 2000
Used by Permission.
Some of us
one day
realize we cannot go back.
We find we have grown
beyond our childhood borders
while our playmates have remained
in their backyards,
inside the gate
that their mothers once told them not to go beyond.
They took Mom's command and
carried it with them
through their self-restricted lives,
growing ever more fearful of exploration
beyond the backyard.
Those of us
who have long since opened the latch and ventured out
enjoy ourselves by
playing in other yards
and
peering into other people's windows
until we discover
we have lost our way back.
We become nervous.
We shade the sun from our eyes,
look behind us toward home,
but our view is blurred
by distance.
We are not sure of what we can see.
We crane our necks and
stand very still
hoping a breeze will carry a familiar scent or sound
- a familiar something -
that will lead us back.
But nothing leads us back toward home.
We are saddened a bit
until we turn and face forward and continue walking.
After a while we lift our heads
and are once again caught up in our adventures.
It is then that we know for sure that
we are members of
the some of us who belong
beyond the backyard.
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