The highlight of my day
A trip to the candy store
Red licorice, malt balls
Three jaw breakers, or four.
A candy beaded necklace
Soft taffy and jujubes
A small brown bag filled to the top
With everything I’d need.
Wooden slats, a ladder to
Our clubhouse in the trees
Made from boards from the lumber yard
Paid for by raking leaves.
We’d climb straight up, crawl inside
Pass thru a makeshift door
We’d play games, trade baseball cards
Till it was half past four.
By five o’clock, it got dark
The street lights would come on
We’d climb down, get on our bikes
It was time to head on home.
A simpler time of innocence
Who knew it would all change
My kids sit with their laptops, now
All they play are video games.
No “1, 2, 3….Red light”
No outside “Hide n Seek”
No forts, skate keys or treehouses
A computer is all they need.
No backyard shows, no sandboxes
“Trick or Treating’s” obsolete
The candy’s given out at parties, now
Not by neighbors down the street.
There are shooting drills in classrooms
Children have to be prepared
Everything has changed so much
There are reasons to be scared.
A simpler time of innocence
When we were very young
Seems we had it better then
Seems life was much more fun.
So much pressure to achieve
To climb up to the top
Everyone pushing and clamoring, now
Wish we could make it stop.
Turn back the clocks, go back in time
When our days were sweet and innocent
A gentler time, filled with laughter and joy
When things were oh so different.
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Image from Google Images: wallboardsupplyco.com
lovenlosses 
You speak the truth. This is the childhood that I grew up in. Oh, the fun we had.
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Yes, it was my childhood, too!!!! Miss those days! 💙
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