my childhood moved so slow and beautiful

my childhood moved so slow and beautiful

my childhood moved so slow and beautiful
through the streets of my hometown
it scares me now
when i can't remember it

images of backyard baseball games
and bicycles
roll through my mind
like marbles dropped on a wooden floor
memories retrieved one at a time

flashes of skinny dipping summers
splash in my head
like the waves of a cannonball
off the deep hole bridge

the distant lights from a high school football field
blindside me like a crazed linebacker
stalking me on crisp october nights
jarring me into a deep nostalgia

saturday snow flakes falling
after a holiday matinee
conjure up the spirit of courthouse santas
bartering for my dreams
with a bag of candy
i pretend i still believe

my childhood moved so slow and beautiful
through the streets of my hometown
it scares me now
to realize it is gone forever

~ welker ~