Childhood

I will tell my children
to bask in the terror of their siblings;
to live for those drawn-out, unnecessary fights
about whose turn it is to wash the dishes
and who last had the remote control

I will tell my children
not to be in a hurry to grow up
Sometimes in our haste
we have missed life's true blessings;
the eyes at the back of the school bus watching over you
the manic laughter that wakes you up in the mornings
the downright silly jokes

You see, these days
my siblings are scattered across the world
living lives, chasing dreams
And some days, I wake up with an aching in my chest
a dull throbbing in my heart
remembering the glorious days
of our childhood