Childish

Childish

I saw a child today
She in constant motion
Jumping up and down
As if the world were her springboard.
She looked out a window
Then surveyed the restaurant
Searching for distraction
A way to sensible the world.
I found myself melancholy
Wishing I were a child.
Pure and inquisitive
Selfish and unaware
Dependent and awestruck
Rambunctious and recalcitrant.
Was I ever so childish?
When did I lose my wonder?
When did I stop looking out windows
For the vistas they contained?
When did I cease to jump
With the quivering excitement,
The joy of experience,
The springboard of life,
To dive into horizons,
To ignore myself
Because the world was more
Interesting?
Would I surrender my wealth
Of experience for a chance
To return to the days of Halcyon?
She looked at me as she left.
I lowered my eyes
As I would in the presence
Of a higher order of being,
Ashamed of my tepid
Nibbling on the edges
Of life’s broad smorgasbord
Of wonder.
My hunger sated, I still
Felt strangely empty.
Drained,
Like a leaky bucket.
She looked satisfied.
And I envied her.