circa 1971
When we were young and unafraid,
We bickered and laughed and fought and played.
Our problems were small, indeed, we were free,
We had no cares; no responsibility.
We swam by day; played hide-and-seek by night;
Cared little about danger and thrilled at fright.
Too soon Dad whistled. It was time for bed;
But little did he know, we sat up and read.
As we grew older and I was in your way,
You’d have friends over and didn’t want me to stay.
When I got jealous, I’d resort to blackmail.
But, we’d soon forget, and I’d seldom tell.
Somehow we got through our teenage years,
But on the way we developed fears.
We had to accept responsibility,
And too soon, we found, we were no longer free.
Through this time we began to share.
We learned to hope and how to care.
And through sharing and hoping, we came to find
That we weren’t in a cage inside of our minds.
Our thoughts and hopes and joys and fears,
We came to know after all these years,
We experienced love and now we see,
That once again, indeed, we are free.
Walking With My Brother 