THE CASTLE GARDENS

Down the steps by the castle walls
Past well-kept greens and flowers
Down to where adventure calls
To while away the hours

Down to where the grass grows wild
Where dandelions thrive
Where I am happy as a child
And glad to be alive

That little boy, can that be me
Nearly sixty years ago
With running nose and scratch on knee
And so much yet to know Yes,

I have learned a lot in life
And I am no longer poor
Each day is not a day of strife
No wolf close by the door

I can hop aboard a plane today
Go almost anywhere
I have sailed in a Caribbean bay
And tasted wondrous fare

But as I near the end, I pause,
Look back with yearning smile
To the little boy that I once was
On that first exciting mile

Down the steps by the castle walls
Past well-kept greens and flowers
Down to where adventure calls
To while away the hours

By the Dabbler