A Child No Longer

Life is a playground
Littered with challenges
Contorted metal forms
Spiraling upward
Looming and daunting
Horrifying yet exhilerating
A little battle
With every strained reach
For the next rung
Holding on

It is a place that steals innocence
With every cut and scrape
One where woodchips
Aren't always there
To cushion the fall

In this playground
Not every acrobatic feat
Is within our control
The ups and downs
Of the see-saw
The high-flying thrill
Of the swing
And the inevitable fall
Down
Down
Down
The slide