Gone
Gone are the days
when my children
would sit in wonder on the bus.
Looking out the window
at all the sights of the city.
Gone are the days
of squeezing on the train.
Walking down crowded streets.
Gone are the days
when my children
Held onto a public banister
to keep from falling
while racing down or up the stairs
Children today
won’t know
the thrill
of standing in a line
packed like sardines to attend an event.
Now
when they wait for their turn
it will need to be scheduled.
Gone are the days
of complete chaos
at the amusement parks.
Feeling the rush
of the drop
on a coaster
as the wind freezes your eyes
and spit in place.
My children are not young anymore.
They experienced a world
uninhibited
by current social changes.
I lament
for the children growing up behind them.
I lament
for the things in life they will miss.
I long
for a future
that is not “new normal”
but a “better normal”
