1956er

We fell asleep under summer stars, the sound of cricket violins
Competing with the nocturnal cries of the killdeer
The Milky Way stretched to infinity and the roar of the freeway
Lying years ahead in a future we could not predict nor comprehend
We played baseball upon fields of Bermuda and clover
In the neighborhood school field with bats nailed and taped together
The ball wet from morning dew until becoming a sinking red ball
Dropping down out of sight behind the skyline of Mt. Diablo
We swam and fished in the Calaveras, the murky waters full of perch
And laid upon the warm boards of the dock until our skins were bronzed
Before jumping in to join the fish and once capturing a large turtle
Then painting his shell like an American flag before releasing him
We raced our bicycles and constructed ramps of scrap lumber
Trying to emulate the daredevil exploits of Evil Kneivel
Baseball cards, worth thousands someday, clicking in the spokes
Of Sting Rays with sissy bars purchased by Dad’s hard earned money
We raced popsicle sticks down gutters of August sprinkler water
And hurled water balloons with amazing accuracy
Until stopping for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and kool-aid
Then playing Monopoly or Tripoly until the inescapable call for dinner
We made excuses for undone chores and slipped quietly outdoors
To wrestle in sticky air and tired grass getting itchy all over
Then raced back to the schoolyard to play hide and seek
The shadows creating mysteries, to be deciphered by amateur detectives
We knew nothing then of war, of politics, of avarice, of hatred
And we faced the world with the reckless abandon only youth can provide
Never imagining or even considering the cruel realities of tomorrow
Humanity’s seemingly endless descent into the pit of debauchery
All this…And so much more…Thank God…For That