When You're Five

When you’re five . . .

When you’re five,
a beetle escaping
your intense study
is a tragedy of epic
tear-filled proportions

When you’re five,
sickness and
old age are
puzzling mysteries

When you’re five,
things like going
to the bathroom
are extremely
annoying inconveniences
getting in the way of
so much
life
to be lived

When you’re five,
everyone your own size
is an immediate friend

When you’re five,
every new lightening bug
is experienced as if for
the first time –
with awe and wonder
and delight

When you’re five,
you’re not too big
to be rocked –
by your Gran

When you’re five,
peach pits are
magic and you
can hardly wait
to see the tree
it will become

When you’re five,
the world is your
oyster –
which is as it
should be
when you’re five

____________
Dedicated to all the five-year-olds discovering their world with eyes that see close to the ground and as far as the stars.