Dear Kid,
What’s the matter? Why the tears in your eyes?
you’re ten years old in ‘95, what a time to be alive,
homework completed, the wretched specter of school abated,
you’ve earned a brief parole period you should be excited.
Mom’s in the kitchen preparing dinner, smells like good food,
she can’t hear your boo-hoos, your room’s locked, the TV’s blaring in the living room,
your parents look out for you, you have a stable home life, too,
you ain’t suffering at all so why do tears flow like Niagara Falls?
So you’ve been pondering the concept of time, of life and death,
ventured into the deep end, wound up feeling overwhelmed,
how your precocious mind wandered this way remains a mystery,
but as long as you’re here you may as well accept some harsh realities,
none of us will get out alive, it’s just a fact of life,
the hardiest individuals will fall, so will the strongest empires,
Life’s so good for you now, bet you want it to go on forever,
it don’t work like that, Kid, you’ll grow older but hopefully, wiser,
first comes high school and university, then out in the world to build your legacy,
being an adult sucks, it’s a lesson that you’ll learn soon enough.
You young ones can’t comprehend what life’s like on the other end,
it ain’t like a video game or cartoon show, no reset button or channel change when you’re dealt a low blow,
some mistakes could be life-altering, some straight-up deadly,
literally and figuratively, the world can be kinda scary,
grown-ups are free to do what they want? Who sold you that lie!?
school and rules are nothing compared to real life,
you, too, will run the gauntlet that’ll test your spirit and guile, not to mention your will to survive.
Death is inevitable, no one is spared, you already know it,
it’s difficult to accept but you’re just a kid, why even think about it?
you have many years ahead, further challenges to be met, so go and dry your tears,
you may not know it yet but you are in the midst of your golden years,
you can’t predict the future and the past is done, focus on the here and now,
do your best in school and keep your room tidy, respect your elders, that’s your responsibility,
be good to people, even if some won’t reciprocate, two wrongs won’t make a right,
there’s enough jerks in this world, don’t join the herd, guaranteed you’ll sleep well at night.
You’re only young once, might as well do it in style,
it’s ok to misbehave once in a while, to run riot and go buck wild,
go outside and play, practice those fighting moves you saw in video games,
act the fool with your friends until your mother angrily calls your name,
don’t take these years for granted, make sure you can look back misty-eyed on ‘em,
learn to count your blessings, in the end you’re one of the lucky ones.
There you have it, Kid, keep your head up and smile,
you’re doing just fine, for now appreciate the joys of being a child,
get yourself cleaned up, Pops will be home soon,
the sun’s going down to make way for the night moon,
enjoy dinner with the family, cherish moments such as these,
bonds forged with the right people and memories will never die, extending beyond even the sands of time.