i miss the days

i miss the days

when climbing trees

was an acceptable pastime

and listening to the birds

was my alarm

i miss the days

when the neighbors

would knock on my door

and ask to ride scooters

up and down the pavement

i miss the days

when i would walk home from school

and pet the golden retriever

that lived down the street

these were the days

when free time was not

a finite resource

but an infinite sea of possibility

where are the days

when all that mattered

was how many jumps it would take

to crack the egg

those were the days

when my backyard was my jungle

and i would swing as high as i could

just to jump off my seat

sometimes i miss flying

and feeling like

the ground didnt exist

but now when i swing

and come back to earth

the jungle is a little smaller

and i am a little bigger

wondering where all the time went