Right Of Passage Poem by Linda Barnes

A library which holds
History of long ago
Of a child's memory
How far back does it go

In dreams they flicker
Like a flint striking a rock
Unleashing a spark
Igniting its path

As though in reverse
Of gunpowder laid out
Burning quickly
But soon it burns out

Never reaching its destination
Buried deep within
There we dig deeper
To reach its beginning

Some memories are best
Left where they lie
Living only for that moment
To be forgotten in time

What shaped our young minds
Absorbed for its knowledge
Is living proof that is given
For a child's right of passage