Once I chased the butterflies
With pockets full of dreams;
The world was painted without lines,
Or careful, measured schemes.
I laughed before I learned of loss,
I cried and then forgot;
Tomorrow was a distant word,
Today was all I sought.
I spoke whatever crossed my mind,
Like rivers to the sea;
I never weighed the strength of words,
Or what they came to be.
I walked with fearless, hurried
feet,
On roads both rough and wild;
The earth forgave each reckless step—
I simply was a child.
I ate with hunger, slept with peace,
Found treasure in the rain;
A cardboard box became a ship,
A puddle, an ocean's plain.
But seasons turned with silent
grace,
And time became my guide;
The mirror showed an older face,
With deeper worlds inside.
Now every word I choose to speak
May build or break a heart;
A gentle phrase can light a soul,
A careless one can part.
Now every meal upon my plate
Reminds me life is shared;
With gratitude I take my bread,
For many have been spared.
Now every path beneath my feet
Invites a thoughtful pace;
For every footprint that I leave
May shape another's place.
Now every thought must earn its
wings
Before it's free to fly;
For wisdom questions every truth,
And asks the reason why.
Yet may I never lose the child
Who danced beneath the sky;
Whose wonder made the ordinary
Teach the heart to fly.
Let innocence become my light,
Responsibility my art;
Let wisdom guide my aging mind,
And kindness rule my heart.
For growing up is not the end
Of laughter, hope, or play;
It's learning how to carry love
In everything we say.
To speak with care, to think with grace,
To walk the truthful way;
To live so others rise with us—
That is adulthood's day.
And if one child should watch my
life
To learn what grown-ups do,
May every choice I make declare:
Be kind, be wise, be true.
