Last night I had a dream
That my childhood ran away
I called for him to come back
But on and on he strayed
He ran across the manicured backyard
Which was my father's pride and joy
Up towards the tree house
Home to the lost boys
Swiftly and silently childhood swings
Into the wooden house just like Tarzan
While I clambered up the broken ladder
That my cousin built with his hands
Once I reached the top
I found childhood sitting cross-legged on the floor
Coloured crayons and paper in his dirty little hands
He was about to draw
Once childhood saw me enter
He jumped to his feet
'Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you,'
My words come out meek
My childhood looks at me strangely
Like we haven't met before
The half drawn picture fell
Discarded on the floor
It's like we both speak different languages
My childhood and I
We do not understand each other
Like we did once upon a time
We have the same eyes
Oceanic murky green
Except his reflect fearlessness
As bright as a summer sun's beam
Childhood jumps onto the window ledge
He is about to take the leap
'No' my head and heart are screaming
'Please…please…please'
His face is wildly painted
With western Indian stripes
Blood red and midnight black
Just like I use to paint mine
He lets out a caterwaul
As he edges closer to the ledge
He bends his knees like a skydiver
'Wait' I beg
He jumps and he falls
But the wind saves him in time
And that's when I realize
My childhood can never die
I watch the homeless wind
Carry him to where he wants to go
To Neverland or Narnia
Whichever he calls home