Growing Up
3.
Once upon a time they were kids
who thought girls gave cooties
and kissing disease was when their mums
pecked them on the cheek and sent
them off to school,
and slapped cheek was when their dads
gave them a stern look
when they misbehaved
that made their cheeks just hurt
But now they know kissing disease
is a bad virus that stubbornly stays put
and slapped cheek is a bug as well
and all those cooties stuff is wrong and right
and there are far more foolproof ways
to get sick, far more ways to die.
They're not that old yet, that they think
they'll soon die, but it's unavoidable.
They love. They hate.
They live. They die.
It's a fact of life and they just see it a little early
or a little late.