Reflection Time: Now And Then Poem by Jim Boone

When Yesterday Was Only A Minute Away
There was no time for storing the kid stuff
Because adults were always assaulting little
Boy memory-building and I was taking notes
On subjects that could only extend the hurt.

The kid-times were only revisited with reunions
Big and small; classmates, cousins and neighbors
‘Reminding’ me how much ‘fun’ life was then.

My poetry is incomplete, as life goes, because
Of my own special brand of ‘writer’s block’.
There wasn’t much home-free time, but I
Now know it was far too precious to be lost.
If play-time is where our story begins, then
I should spend more time with a cousin
And a class-mate or three to get it right.

One of my cousin’s kids recently referred
To my special perspective that I bring to
The family tree. There were four or five
Of ‘us’ but little Jimmy was the only one
Who walked the walk and talked about it.
The only one who got punched for being
‘Protected’ from the wrong side of life.

Solitary time is now necessary, and time
With others I might choose to spend
It with, not always available. But today
I was reminded that all of this was just
A ‘tick on times clock’; that there is still
A lot of living ahead for me. I’ll be
Reflecting on that on down the road.

2014