Becoming the Hero of my Own Life

I want to go back to a time of innocence
To when having a drink too many had for only consequence wetting the bed
To when a song was just wonderful
No matter what the lyrics
To when words meant exactly what they sounded like
Because ‘between the lines’ was for adults
I want life’s dilemmas to go back
To picking a flavour of ice cream
I want troubles with boys to mean pulled pigtails on the playground
And health problems to amount to a scraped knee
I want to think really hard about stuff that really matters
Like whether or not butterfly sounds better as flutterby
I want curfews to mean that mom is tucking me in
And I want insomnia to mean I’m trying to catch Santa as he comes down the chimney
I want to lose track of time in contemplation of an anthill
And to hear the sea for the first time again
I want to go back to a time of carelessness
When being careless was my duty and prerogative

No one ever thought of teaching kids in school
That in time, carelessness becomes responsibility
That between the lines is a way to use good words to convey bad meanings
And that not seeking that hidden space leads to sad endings
No one ever told me to expect
That songs I liked could become songs I dread
Because from one day to the next, the same words meant different things
I wish I’d listened more closely to the waves the first time I saw the ocean
So my memories of the sea lapping the sand didn’t sound like they’re coming out of a shell
I wish I learned to live for myself instead of others
So as to be proud of who I am instead of making others proud of what I’m not

I hope I can grow up to be what I know I was
I hope I still remember enough of my innocence
To grow down into the person I once took for granted
And finally achieve my long life dream
Of becoming the hero of my own life