It was the best of times, those first ten trips ‘round the sun,
They say perfection’s non-existent but this sure was a close one,
Yours was charmed to say the least, you’d surely won the lottery,
Spared from life’s miseries, all was fine and dandy, mostly,
Roof overhead, food on the table, clothes on your back, you had all that,
Playtime, gaming and cartoons outside of school, had you a chest full of toys, felt luckier than other boys, you were that dude,
Books by the ton, messing about with your homies, trips to Wonderland, interstate then overseas, Disneyland during early teens,
Those prime years, eighth, ninth and tenth, the definition of carefree, keeping your room clean and your grades pristine seemed your only responsibilities,
Thank God Mom and Pops cared, went out their way to raise you good and proper,
As a lad you wouldn’t have known but it wasn’t easy keeping the foundations strong,
Now that you’re full grown you learn the truth all along, the good life born out of love from your grown folks,
They say one only wants what’s best for their little ones, give ‘em what they never had coming up,
Yours kept you out of Struggle Street, from all forms of trouble and corruption, moved you to a land of opportunities, to a life idyllic and hassle-free,
Though they played around with ya, when they weren’t keeping you in line, surely life’s stresses were never far, dawdling in the backs of their minds,
They, too, shared the good times, looking back, also, with a shared fondness,
But while you got the lion’s share, they enjoyed only half or less,
Couldn’t have asked for better, really, you gotta hand it to ‘em,
Should the day come that you don their boots, hopefully, you’ll do your best, too,
So you best keep ‘em in your prayers, walk with ‘em during their sunset, surely their sacrifices were worth it,
You’d been blessed many times over, Boy, gotta pay it forward.