Reflection

by Donna K. Weaver

One of my favorite songs is a little known one by John Denver. With school starting, the end of another summer is upon us. This song captures the feeling I have as I look back on the magic that was my childhood. It's not necessarily even that my experiences were magical, but that my view of the world was.

Catch Another Butterfly

Do you remember days not so very long ago
When the world was run by people twice your size
And the days were full of laughter and the nights were full of stars
And when you grew tired you could close your eyes

Yes the stars were were there for wishing
and the wind was there for kites
And the morning sun was there for rise and shine
And even in the sniffles kept you home from school in bed
You couldn't hardly stay there after nine

And I wonder if the smell of morning's faded
What happened to the robin's song that sparkled in the sky
Where's all the water gone that tumbled down the stream
Will I ever catch another butterfly

Do you remember campouts right in your own backyard
And wondering how airplanes could fly
And the hours spent just playing with a funny rock you found
With crystal specks as blue as all the sky

And I wonder if the smell of morning's faded
What happened to the robin's song that sparkled in the sky
Where's all the water gone that tumbled down the stream
Will I ever catch another butterfly

Now I watch my son, he's playing with his toys
He's happy and I give him all I can
But I can't help feeling just a little tingling inside
When to hear him say, he wants to be a man

And I wonder if the smell of morning's faded
What happened to the robin's song that sparkled in the sky
Where's all the water gone that tumbled down the stream
Will I ever catch another butterfly
Will I ever catch another butterfly

What do you miss from your childhood? What did you surrender in your rush to adulthood that, looking back, you wish you could have kept?