I long for the days when we were young,
Innocent little fuckers with no concerns,
Work was a game where we dress up for fun,
As our favorite carpenter, and take turns,
Passing the hard hat from one to another,
And beating wood with our plastic hammer.
I miss when the hard part of being a brother,
Was merely my sister making a loud clamor,
It was the only time I was ever a role model,
And I embraced it like I was a patron saint.
Long before I found happiness in a bottle,
I found it in sixteen colors of fingerpaint.
Cookies and a nap were each encouraged,
And money was what bought your new toy.
We learned about bears drinking porage,
And I had cooties like all the other boys.
I suppose the cooties part is still the same,
And those icky girls have gotten crazier,
None of us cared about the status or fame,
But we’ve gotten one hundred times lazier.
I still looked up to my parents back then,
And took everything they said as gospel,
On some days they were my only friends,
If they couldn’t fix things, nothing will.
Roller coaster rides were only once a year,
Instead of everyday like they are now.
We begged our parents to let us steer,
And then learned our lesson in time out.
Punishment was a crack across the ass,
If I was rude enough maybe two or three,
Looking back physical abuse wasn’t bad,
Compared to living in never ending misery.
Death was something we only saw on tape,
When black X’s covered up their eyes,
We couldn’t spot another person as fake,
And we couldn’t keep up with our own lies.
Assholes in our lives haven’t changed much,
Shame I can’t still shoot them all for fun,
Then watch them fall down as they clutch,
For a gasp of air as I slowly reload my gun.
Bumps and bruises were all taken in stride,
And they were usually worn with a smile,
Way back when I still had a bit of pride,
And my life was still sort of worth while.
Fear was watching a scary movie alone,
With the lights turned off late at night,
Not worrying about a place to call home,
Or if there’s a reason to continue this life.
I miss someone assuring me it’s all okay,
Even if there’s nothing at all going right.
And there was never anyone there to say,
My hopes and dreams were all out of sight.
The years, they keep compounding on me,
However, my appreciation of life does not,
When I was young I had reason to believe,
I had a choice in the life that I’ve got.