The more the situation calls for me to behave with gravity and proper decorum, the more I’m likely to drag my heels and stubbornly glue myself to being silly and irresponsible and to frustrate any attempts to make me act however is deemed suitable to my age. Those nearest and dearest to me have long since learned the futility of asking me to behave in any sort of adult-appropriate manner and they tolerate, or to varying degrees, enable this impossibly impish attitude on my part. No wonder I love them so.
. . . so I'll just keep lying around and looking at the pictures in the clouds . . .
Perpetuating Childhood
In all probability I’d be prone
to be an insufferable old crone,
a hag, a harridan, full of mold,
if I had to mature–grow up–get old–
because, in truth, the prospect’s grim
when responsible heart meets creaky limb,
and milky eye and baggy middle
drag joie-de-vivre down a little–
I’d rather, by far, annoy my peers
by being unfitted to my years,
guffawing, as boisterous as a sinner,
and eating six Popsicles for dinner;
skipping like a stone across the Square
and having wild grass seeds in my hair,
wearing skirts too short; taking much too long
to figure out what I’m doing wrong,
yet enjoying the doing things just the same,
since it’s all a bit like a great big game
anyway–this journey we call a life–
so why should we let it sour, be rife
with tedious, tiresome old-age gunk?
I’d rather go back to school and flunk
for excessive dreaming and foolish pranks.
Grow up? Grow old? Mature?
No, Thanks!
Art-Colored Glasses 
My dear baby girl, truly glad you keep in touch with your lighthearted side.
Life is, indeed, too short…
With so many happiness-inducing friends like you, how can I *not* be lighthearted. 😀 Thank you!!
Nostalgia and innocence. All bundled up. Your personality really shown out in this one, Kathryn. I adore it. I really do.
Loved the humour throughout it. The last two lines? They hit home hard. Love the lightheartedness, how sparkly it all was.
This was resisting age and the turns of time at its finest. My favourite poem of yours thus far.
Thank you, my sweet. Thank you!
🙂 😀 !!!
It takes too much effort to be fully grown – I’d much rather exercise the child any time. Very nice.
We all know children need more exercise anyway, right??
I love your way of thinking! 🙂
😀
xoxoxo!
A brilliant piece. And I think I can relate to this somewhat.
I do suspect you can, my friend!
Lovely!
🙂 Mandy
I know you have a well-developed playful side too, my dear, so I’m glad you liked this one. 🙂
xo!
Kathryn
I’m all for not growing up! Well… maybe a little. 😛
*Just* enough to get by. *Barely* enough! 🙂
I’m right there with you, at every point!
Well, except the skirts – with legs as short as mine, I’d have to hem them to make them too-short!
In my case, I’m so shortwaisted that I have a sort of Tweedledee look in skirts as it is, so what’s ‘short’ on my legs may well be a regular length skirt just hitched up to sit at my waist. Classy, huh! Can you guess I’ve never been mistaken for a supermodel?
Not to worry, we can both wear whatever playclothes we want; it won’t dampen our spirits any. 🙂
xo
Grow old? Yes, we’ve little choice. Grow up? Never! It’s so vastly over-rated.
So I’ve heard, John, so I’ve heard. I’ll just take the experts’ word for it. 😉
Love this. I’m feeling thoroughly old and crotchety, today. Not-quite-but-almost Screamy Mommy with my own two, if not with my four extra kids. We need to eat some popsicles and get our mud boots on and see if any earthworms are awake yet. And then maybe put a whole big pile of ’em in their Dad’s lunch box >:-} Thanks for the smile, Kathryn!
Now, *that* would be a heck of a lunch surprise! I’m glad you could still crack a smile in the midst of One of Those Days! Hugs to you!!
xo
Kathryn
Love it all! especially these lines:
‘taking much too long
to figure out what I’m doing wrong,’
Besides getting behind on my comment-responses, I can assure you there’s a looooong additional list of wrongs, but somehow that still doesn’t bother me enough to change it. 🙂