What Happened To The Little Boy

What happened to the little boy
I was once upon a time,
So very long ago?

I know the answer
I’ve been told.
“You grew up.”
“You grew old.”
“The innocence you had
As a little boy,
Got murdered by the world.”

It always comes to that.
The loss of innocence.
The birth of pain.
Where as I grew,
I learned,
Time and time again,
Never trust anyone.
That way,
No one can hurt you
Again.

But I wonder
What was wrong
With that little boy?

That little boy
Wasn’t scared at all
Of the black kids
Down the road.
In fact,
He played with them.
And he had fun.
And they did too.

That little boy
Wasn’t afraid at all
To hold the hand
Of the girl next door
When she was sad.
He held her hand
So many times
While she cried.
And then he wiped the tears
From her eyes.

Sometimes he even hugged her.
And always,
Every day,
He was there.
As her friend.

Because he knew
In his heart and soul
Helping friends
Was the thing to do.

That little boy
Sometimes got angry,
And frustrated too.
And he screamed,
And hollered.
And if he got angry enough,
He got up,
And walked away.

But always,
He calmed down.
Because he knew
Being angry with his friends
Forever
Meant he’d never see them
Again.

What happened to that little boy
That I was
Once upon a time?

That boy and his friends knew
That sometimes boys just fight.
And fight they did.
Running into each other,
Wrestling on the ground,
In the grass and dirt.
And even in the mud.

But always,
When the fight was over,
Everybody knew
Why it had begun.
And that little boy
Always took the time
To work things out
With the other person
In the fight.

What happened to that little boy?
Where has he gone to?
In this world
That needs him
And his kind
So very much?

That little boy never once
Looked at a little girl
Dressed in jeans,
And a t-shirt,
With a ball cap on her head,
And told her she was evil,
And all her kind
Should just be dead.

That little boy never once
Looked at a little boy
That took dancing lessons,
Had long hair
In a pony tail,
And wore pink socks,
As a demon from hell
To be burned at the stake
To keep the world safe
From him.

That little boy always knew
If you had more to eat
That you needed,
Or wanted,
It was OK
To give it to
Someone with no food.

That little boy knew too
That if you broke the rules,
It was you that broke the rules,
And you should just man up
And take what was coming to you.
Instead of trying to blame
Everyone and anyone
But you.
That little boy
Never said at all,
“It’s not my fault!”
When he knew it was.

That little boy
Was not afraid to dance.
Was not afraid to sing.
Was not afraid to laugh,
And smile.
Or scream,
And cry.

What happened to that little boy
From so long ago
That knew so many things
I no longer know?

Advertisement

#12DaysBop : Day 9 – I Have A Tale For You

It’s day 9 of Stacy Hoyt’s 12 Days Of Christmas Blog Hop. Today, the prompt is stories. And I have a tale for you.

---

Gather ‘round children. I have a tale for you. A tale of forgotten dreams, a lost soul and an aching heart. Listen carefully, as I share this tale with you.

It’s the story of a boy who wrote stories, big and small. Drew airplanes, cars and spaceships. He drew flowers too. He loved to play the piano, in his family’s home. And he loved to sing. Not unlike many of you.

As the boy grew older his friends started asking him, “What are you going to be when you grow up? What are you going to do to make a living? It’s good that you can write. Don’t ever stop. But what are you going to do with your life?”

As he grew older, he stopped singing. One day in church he closed the hymnal and never sang another word. He stopped drawing for he knew his artwork wasn’t good enough for him to earn a living with. He even put down his paper and pen, and never wrote anything again.

He went to college, got a job, and went to work. Like people do. He took care of his family, bought them a house, and a car. He gave his wife, daughter and son everything they asked for.

But he never, ever smiled. He was a good grown up. A success in life.

Then one day, he heard a song.

I’ll be great becoming
Someone I’ll adore
Let me reach my destiny
The life I’ve failed before

Transform me in the image of
What I’d rather be
Open me and pour in
What you want from me

He cried. For the song described his life, and how he’d thrown himself away to become just like everyone else.

---

Please go enjoy the rest of the stories in the blog hop. There are some really gifted writers out there. It’s well worth reading their work. You can find the other entries here:

The 12 Days Of Christmas Blog Hop, Day 8 – The Gift Of Seas