ELIXIR: My dreams of youth . . .

12

Elixir 

My dreams of youth

recall an endless ride. 

Freedom to travel the fields

and back roads, racing

across shadows tossed to earth

by pines and ancient oak. 

The sun, a steady companion,

often present, always eager

to return when showers end.

Wind, both friend and foe. 

Youth, the elixir that turns

a long stretch of summer

into a magical adventure.

 

Oh, to relive the magical moments of youth. As with fresh water, I also took my childhood freedom of choice for granted. The most structured or confining part of my early years was the class room with its narrow desks, closed windows, and smothering blackboard. 

Otherwise, I was free to do as I pleased, spending early evenings and week-ends involved in unorganized activities such as baseball, archery, swinging (ah, the freedom!), biking, lawn croquet, and lazy days of swimming at the beach down by Neshotah Park. Thinking back, oh my goodness, such fun we had with simple games like ball-and-jacks, hopscotch, and paddleball. 

A black-and-white photograph, long stored away in some cedar chest or attic, has always stuck in my mind. At a very young age, my siblings and I are running through the sprinkler on the side lawn. This was at the first house we knew as home. Later, Dad built another house, and another, and another, until home didn’t feel so much like home. But this house of my early days has always held a place in my heart. 

The sprinkler in this remembered photograph was shaped like a ring. It shot water high into the air, in all directions of a circle. What fun to skip, splash, and charge through the spray on warm summer days, knowing the sun would always shine brightly, and supper would always be ready for us at five o’clock sharp.