I Once Was

 

I once was one of those,

cherubic arms and legs,

ten fingers, ten toes,

tactile feeling pleasure

and pain, developing

dexterities, a blank slate

empirically, contectually

for a brain.

One of those I was before

I knew who or what I was.

I once was one of those

infantile, preverbal and

nearsighted thrust into

a wonder world of the

impossible unknown.

Yes, I once was one of

those, even though I have

long since lost recollection

of the creature I used to be.

And now at age seventy-five

I am one of those who has

survived, having amassed

a vast array of experience

who is blessed and cursed

with a treasure trove of

emotion.

After learning my ABCs, 123s

and a plethora of social amenities,

life has afforded me a smorgasbord

potpourri as it was meant to be—

some of it a struggle uphill; some

of it bestowed natural as a breeze.

And be that as it may, I have

managed thus far as one of

those, benevolently endowed

with my memories, still humbly

equiped with ten fingers, ten

toes, arthrictically challenged

as they may be.

                    -30-

Chris Hanch 5-20-2022