Jealousy

I Spied My Shadow Slinking-By Jack Prelutsky

I spied my shadow slinking
up behind me in the night.
I issued it a challenge,
and we started into fight.

I wrestled with that shadow,
but it wasn't any fun.
I tried my very hardest-
all the same, my shadow won.

This is a poem from my not too distant childhood. Fond memories of playing the added demos of the "Green Eggs and Ham" computer game spring up whenever I read this poem. I can reiterate the exact tone and animations from the game that have forever been indented into my memory.

All the same, there are feelings of resentment with reminiscing memories that come to mind when reading this poem. I envy those with more youth than I, with no other cares outside of whether they will play soccer or basketball for recess tomorrow.

If only I could return to the time of elementary school, with my original teachers and all the friends that grew 3 1/2 feet in my absence from them. What fun it would be to go back to childhood; to be as ignorant as you could possibly get and be able to face the world only with a smile and a Tootsie Pop to accompany it.

Whats college? Oh well, I get to go to Seven Peaks tomorrow. Test? You mean that thing where we put spelling words on yellow paper? Those are easy, all I had to do was watch Mary Poppins for the bonus word. Yes mom I practiced my cursive after school today can I go out to play football now?

It's too true: aging and worry are completely proportionate. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to be kept a child forever...
Then again...what if not?