Playing.... Then And Now Poem by Randy McClave

Children should be outside playing!
Inside the house they should not be staying,
They should be outdoors breathing the fresh air
At a television screen they should not constantly stare;
Their imaginations should be released inside a park
They should be counting stars or catching fireflies at dark,
From inside a house to the outside world they shouldn't look
And their noses shouldn't constantly be stuck inside a book;
"Running and or playing", the spirit of a child will always proclaim
But, it must be outside in the yard and not on a video game,
Doesn't anyone recall the jubilation and the reward
When a game was played on the grass or upon a wooden board;
When I was younger we ran and we climbed trees and I flew a kite
We didn't know or cared what was data storage or a megabyte,
Now the outside for children has been replaced by technology
To the youth of today; I give them my sincere sadness and apology.


Randy L. McClave