Dad's Shoulders

Once I was
On top of the world
 
Winning at a game
That I didn’t know
I was playing
As I was cheered on
By eager fans
Boosting my ego
 
Skipping through the fallen leaves
And slipping recklessly
Through the dangers
Life handed me
Knowing
That if I tripped
Someone was there
To catch me
Before I hit the pavement
 
But all at once
I fell from the nest
Feeling lost
When I scraped my knee
And nobody was there
Holding a band-aid
Ready to fix me
 
I wondered
Why it had been so easy
To fall hard
With no broken bones
Or ugly bruises
 
But nobody had told me
That when I used to fall
It had only been
From Dad’s shoulders