To be young was very heaven

The creak in my knees and the ache in my back
make me doubt I ever played carelessly
among tall leafy greens and the ocean of my mind.
The line between real friends and imaginary was blurred
and the only thing defined was the freedom of no rules.

I moved in and out of a multitude of personas in play
and felt inundated with things to explore every day.
The newness and novelty of the outside world matched easily the imagined cosmos within.

No conflicts, no agony, no angst, no anxiety...
only vibrant colors like a day freshly washed by spring showers.

Now with fading sight I look back at those days,
and feel a joy once again,
the memories assuage some of the knee pain...
a warmth covers up the ache in the back.
And no longer do I curse the years that made me lose my track.