When You Grow Up...

When you grow up

You can be anything you want.

A simple lie.

Perhaps, even cruel.

But necessary.

Because the very soul

of our existence

Belongs to what comes after.

Our children must believe

That the world is wide

And full of wonder.

It's often not.

As they find out with age.

The world can be cruel

And hard work does not always pay off.

But tell that to a child

The truth

And they will never wonder

They will cease to create

To dream and to build.

And the world will fall away.

The marvelous dreams of childhood

Mold into something new

Something tangible and real.

It's not the same wonder

And it's not without sacrifice.

But it only exists

Because our parents once said

When you grow up

You can be anything you want.