The things I have lost

Roaring flames of treasure blaze 
Sparked by distant memory days
Of pirate ships and ferns for spears
Of splashing streams like pioneers
Of happiness and seldom tears.

Vivid pictures run and flow
Kidnapped back to long ago
Of hunting, hiding, laughing free
Of scraps that had no referee
Of dry leaves almost drowning me.

They bring with them the ring of truth
Belief in beauty and in youth
Of smells and flowers the feel of sun
Of joy through new eyes just begun
Of childhood times surpassed by none.

The friends we made in simple moments
Hi you’re in now we’re opponents
Of five-a-side with jumper goals
Of arms reached out down rabbit holes
Of cuts and scrapes and hero roles.

Recalled adventures brought to life
Some days can cut me as a knife
Of missing sunshine seen so bright
Of wanting now to walk that light
Of needing what is gone from sight.

That yearning bleeds the years we’ve lost
To walk this earth you pay the cost
Of reminisces turning plough
Of smiles that lift our furrowed brow
Of keeping shrouds at bay for now.

Roaring flames of treasure blaze 
Sparked by distant memory days
Of pictures holding countless worth
Of what I dream I’d give the earth
Of souvenirs that gift rebirth.


© 2020 Jim Loft