Adulthood

So this is growing up
Counting tax returns instead of stars
Draining wallets, not crayon boxes
Climbing corporate ladders, not picket fences
We run to interviews instead of candy stores,
Making promises we cannot keep
(at least not with pinky promises)
We have thrown away our orange juice,
Filling up the cartons with bitter coffee and stale ciders
(there’s no more nap-time, after all)
Our palms crave for the chalk powder silhouettes,
That we have replaced with ink and tears
We don’t play in the mud anymore;
We’ve gotten our hands dirty enough now anyway