Untouchable

Distantly familiar, far away... Untouchable,
Rimmed fuzzy, sun bleached,
A little forgotten, a little not remembered,
laughing, high skips through cool rainbows
on an oven August day, a finger painted sky,
with your best friend, a sister,
known from a time of diapers, high chairs,
your neighbor,
through long lashed sleepy eyes,
pried dreamlessly open, alert,
hiding from the crocodiles under the bed,
the vampires lurking, treacherous, waiting,
in the dark labrynth of my closet,
of imagining the impossible,
knowing that it could never happen,
but still believing it was true...
naive, yet growing up, fast forward
a few years,
suddenly your heart is exploding,
the pony is yours!
first horseshow, adrenaline pumping,
hooves methodic, still,
soccer attempts, cool days
of running up and down a field,
but wondering why you were there,
A far away jungle, wild but perfect,
a sandy white beach, bouquet blue water,
fades away to debris, a wasteland, washed over by
the truth of poverty,
a town, where everyone has nothing,
no money,
no home,
no iPod,
no cell phone,
but yet everything,
they are smiling at me,
happy,
I am confused, but,
maybe, I tell myself,
there’s more to life
when you realize that you have nothing,
the line of happiness clearer,
the importance of life’s gifts
more greatly appreciated,
maybe you don’t need things,
I remember thinking,
the children climbing
on their rusty
play structure,
and maybe, just maybe,
we can be happy to have
life, itself.