Friend, they grow up too soon.
The little children who harassed you
With screams and shouts and cheer-
Soon they’ll all be gone.

Friend, they’re at that age
Their noisy days behind them,
Ready to flutter from the nest,
They’re set to take the stage.

You may miss them someday,
More likely you may not;
And wherever life will take you,
You’ll never forget today.

To treat your many illnesses,
Some day, they would return;
They’ll laugh when they remember
You had called them a nuisance.

But the way I see it now-
When they outgrow their games
And speak of happy days,
You’d be called ‘the Beast’.

Friend, you ruined their day
Because they wanted to play
And you did not like the way
They shattered your peace today.

Your own li’l one will come
Wide-eyed and innocent;
Where are all the kids? he’ll say,
There is no one to play…

You spoke of many noisy kids,
Exciting, pesky, unbearable:
I’ve been waiting to meet them
To play the way they do.

Grandpa, where are they?-
When he looks into your eyes
Eager to make friends,
Will you have a reply?

You had given in to rage
A moment’s lapse of judgement
You may regret it later, but
You’ll never forget today.

My book of poems is now available on Kindle: Lonely Journeys