in my backyard
army men
fought their battles
with plastic guns
and melted crayolas

an old aquarium
with a handful of tadpoles
from the ditch
grew legs and hopped away
couldn’t say which
way they went

the sandbox
shared by the cat
how I lived through
the germs that
i played in
i don’t know

the old barn
seemed huge
and dark beyond measure
smelling of old wood and hay
and ancient treasure

the coins a friend
and i buried
in a box we carried
up the hill
someday maybe they’ll
find it and wonder

days lasted forever
the future was far away
time to ponder that later
for a boy in the country
a whole world ago

© Joel Tipple