When did it get like this?
When did life’s simplicities
morph into such intricate complexities?
I remember the days
when my biggest worries
were coloring inside the lines.

When we loathed nap time,
but loved our turn as line leader
or even the caboose;
when we shared finger paint one day,
and were absolute BFF’s the next;
when nothing frightened us more than cooties
nothing but the scary monsters teasing us
from behind the closet door;
I remember when reading was cool,
but shopping with my mom was way cooler.
Reminiscing back to such simple times,
I can only ask, “When did life’s simplicities
morph into such intricate complexities?”

Did it happen when I realized
Elmo was too silly for ‘big kids?’
Maybe that was the start of real life;
The start of responsibilities, commitments,
decisions, and independence.
Somehow, lost in transition,
‘Cosmo’ replaced coloring books,
Lincoln Heights trumped ‘Hey Arnold’
Starbucks substituted welch’s,
and dress-up became dress-down.
This realization of reality came bounded
with deadlines and stress.
Apply for scholarships, define acetylcholine,
find a prom date, write an essay,
then choose the college
of which to spend your next four years

I sit dumb-founded asking,
“When did it get like this?”
When did life’s simplicities
morph into such intricate complexities?
If only we could return to those days
When we were praised
For coloring inside the lines