The Death of Your Childhood

The worst thing to watch

is your childhood saying goodbye.

The ones you used to watch on TV,

figures than seem to be

bigger than life, the ones

you used to stop everything for

so you could see them in action

and then find yourself jumping

up and down trying to imitate

the very moves you just saw

much to the ire of your parents.

But you didn't care.

These were your heroes on the tube,

fighting the good fight

and prevailing in the end.  You

just hoped that one day,

one day you could grow up

and be just as big and strong as

the guys you saw on TV and then

you could be out there with them.

But time moves on and reality says

you didn't get to become big and

strong like your heroes, you ended up

just like everyone else.  But then

you find out that your heroes

weren’t as heroic as you remember.

Behind the aura of flash and muscle

they were just as human as you,

flawed and vulnerable, seeking

love and acceptance, just wanting to be

normal.  Seeing them limp their way

through the current phases of their lives

make you somewhat sad because

it only reminds you that time marches on

and no one can stay forever young,

not them and especially not you.

But seeing them reminds you of that

special time of innocence when you

felt just as super as they and that

there’s nothing wrong with feeling super.