Heart of Gold

I am growing up now,

Waving goodbye

To the sunday picnics,

To the sweets galore,

To the bed-time stories,

To the thrill of swinging.

I am growing up now,

Ushering in

The quiet commitments,

The paperwork,

The hectic schedule,

The unwanted attractions.

Lost in the sands of time

Are my wild dreams

Of finding fairies

In the spring flowers.

The magic pot of gold

At the end of the rainbow,

Is no more my desire.

Now I maintain

My own life,

Away from home,

Away from my roots;

Making new, difficult decisions,

Making my own mistakes.

No more does my dilemma

Lie within choosing between

Chocolate cake or ice-cream for dessert.

Now I see

The orientation of petals

Than the beauty

Of the flower itself.

However...

Somewhere in the mesh of growth,

Interwoven with the hurtful experiences,

Lies an urge

To break all norms,

To usher in the fairies

That made nightmares

Magically disappear;

To welcome

The warmth of the sun,

To sit

Under the cool shade of the peepal trees,

Play silly games,

Just run around freely;

Without the shackles of routine,

Of commitments,

Binding me to a place,

I don't even call my own.

The paperwork may pile,

My commitments may continue to rise,

But, this world

I call my own,

This world that gives me

Strength and courage,

An unnatural faith in myself,

Will grow with me;

And preserve

The dreams of the child

Who is no more...

And preserve

The dreams of the child,

And its heart of gold.

-Me