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THERE was a child went forth every day;
And the first object he look’d upon, that object he became;
And that object became part of him for the day, or a certain part of the day, or for many years, or stretching cycles of years.
The first glint of sun touching the vibrant leaves became a part of this child,
And the fresh autumn air and the piles of slightly damp leaves, and the smell of fresh apple cider, and the clucks of the hens as they pick at the early morning dew.
And the laughter of children and his friends as they played basketball, and the feeling of togetherness he received from the smiles on those happy faces, and the suns warmth as they played, and the ever increasing moment of sadness he felt as the sun slowly faded and the cold set in.
And the noisy chirps from the crickets outside his window, or the steady autumn rain as it sloshed against the glass,
The nights spent eagerly waiting for morning, to which he would wake to find puddles outside his small brick home,
The tadpoles freshly hatched and the croaks of frogs embracing the newly wet ground—all became part of him.
The sight of the first snow, blanketing the hills outside his window on the first day of winter became part of him;
And the ever increasing enjoyment the boy felt as he piled on his clothes, feeling triumphant as he pushed through the snow, the snow towering over his head as if it was a wall that held endless possibilities.
And in the mornings the boy would awake to the smell of fresh ginger bread, his mother and sister cooking away in their small cozy kitchen;
And the sound of the neighbors goat as his sister carried it into the house, the little grunts it made as if happy to have found a friend, the chaos and calamity he caused within the home, and the walks made to return it every afternoon.
And the horses neighing in the field down the road as the bitter cold seem to fade, leaving a warmer and more pleasant time for grazing.
And the friendly strays that came and went —and the aggressive feral’s that none could tame, 15
And the news announced of a new member of the family—and soon after the pitter patter of tiny barefoot feet as it ran over the kitchen tile,
And with that came all the changes of transition from youngest to middle aged child.
His own life,
Ever changing and adapting to the ongoing changes of his family, Having once been youngest and now burdened with responsibility of raising a new sibling, his parents looking to him to be a suitable role model
The new found responsibility given to him, this child whom jealously would reign, the boy had never asked for such a position and more over felt resentful; 20
The days however where the two would bond with elder sis gave him a sense of concealed happiness that none would know,—all these things became part of him.
The seasons quickly came and went, space in the small home would soon become scarce as he and his siblings grew, the winters becoming less welcomed and labeled as more a burden to his father;
The child faced with moving from the small town,—departing from where he grew up to a face yet a new journey;
The family, strong, yearning for new beginning, willing and eager;
Many days spent building a new home, the days soon filled with the clash of hammers, the pounding of nails into board, 25
The months pushed aside to reveal a new home, a place that welcomed new memories of joy, all things within untouched new and pure, alas —the yearning and swelling heart for which the boy would miss the northern country side still present,
Years would be shown for new ties and friendships, bonds made between school friends which would last for what would seem ages, and the feeling of togetherness once again presented and the child’s heart, all those things would slowly fill his heart as the loneliness of the life he had before slowly faded;
The welcoming of day-time and the ever growing fear of night-time—the curiosity felt still there,
Is it true that nothing stays unchanged and that none can be truly forgotten?
Memories that once were held dear to him as a child—if not completely faltered and faded, will the ever cease to exist? 30
The trees themselves, and the sights witnessed, and tingling of his sense of smell,
Location, animals, the heavy-hearted feeling of the ending of day—the feeling of friendship,
The holidays and winters spent with family, although not the same— began a new chapter within the boy’s life,
The autumn smells, the early morning mist, the slosh of rain falling onto the roof and splashing against his window,
The old things all being replaced by new experiences—just like the rain renewed the early morning ground, 35
The adventurous side of the boy, the parts of memories from his past, all things he held dear, never truly faded yet grew each day;
The days of yearning were quickly mended by the familiar sights, the same sun that gave him warmth, the same sky, wind, and rain—all things he enjoyed before he enjoyed even now,
The bonds he created, the sounds of nature, the fragrance of ginger in the mornings, and the feeling of security he received from family;
These became part of that child who went forth every day, and who now goes, and will always go forth every day.
