Swing Sets And Jungle Gym

When, while a father with two young girls,
ah charming children indeed
both wrapped around mine middle finger,
whose playful rebukes

this papa did heed
(who wished for a son),
he never did breed)
aplomb (fig your at Tivoli) found me

taking their fruitful lead
apple lee going bananas acceptable
mischievous behavior harmless misdeed
from this grown man,

sir render ring self to land
flat on me bum
as if drunk from mead
where playfulness my creed

years ago that streamed
by at lightspeed,
I experienced a
manifest destiny that freed

Aladdin side me, those decades,
sans long gone fatherhood
plus roles he learned to succeed
recalling catfights ('twixt

daughters) he refereed
who cherished those
offspring, he did seed
reckons adult opportunity

gifted yours truly mentoring
with excellence they did excede
to let loose once, and always frightened lad,
healthy development anxiety did impede

his spontaneity damned and leveed,
thus renaissance awoke to relive boyhood,
and prior to parenthood,
would be less apt to concede

how natural to bond with progeny
fostered by being keyed
into esprit de corps of biological charges,
now grown without need,

nor want of this
sudden embarrassment person,
whose absence in mein kampf did bleed
unstaunched sadness till affixing

available spare time with books to read,
and poems to write attempting to feed
an errant stray tear every now and again,
more pronounced as father time guaranteed

begetting precious bundles of joy,
how pedestrian days of yore like a tumbleweed
rocketed them thru preschool, kindergarten...
high school, college now this doddering
doth oft attempt (with futility) to reach them...
even cherished memories insync
with Jack and Jill Truck klaxon dost recede.