Remember This

I still remember my time of innocence,

Youthfulness where legs would never tire,

Monsters lurked under the bed at night,

Energy sprung tight like a coil of wire. 

I still remember the mischievious glances

After house rules had been so sneakily broken.

The sheer inventiveness of siblings together,

Giggling moonlit jokes never left unspoken.

I still remember dancing in the fallen snow,

Heads tilted back to taste the descending flakes. 

The calling voice of a mother to come inside,

Two little kids always refusing a break.

I still remember knowing all the answers, 

As adulthood came fast approaching, 

Self-righteous demeanor, no room for intrusion,

Any objections considered encroaching.

I still remember the attempts to blend, 

Acceptance mocking the wannabes without rest,

An understood separation of differences,

Thoughts of integration merely suppressed.

I still remember visiting during the holidays, 

The expected, seldom ringing of the door bell.

Small talk escaping unfamiliar lips of family, 

Relatives known solely by their annual farewell. 

I still remember recurring thoughts of yesterday 

As grandchildren sprawled face-first in fresh snow,

What knowledge and wisdom I have gained, 

From memorable years of letting myself grow.

I hope they remember the lessons I've taught,

Truth lying behind each soft-spoken word, 

The things I might have done differently

If advice of my grandfather hadn't been deferred.