“Yes! Please”? They call, with joy spilling from their eyes
begging me to play with them
through their youthful cries

I am still quite young enough to close my eyes and count
to 10,15, or 20
and become a traveling scout

For when I hear a giggle drift through the quiet room

I pounce and say “I've found you”!
In a triumphant coo

the first found runs away and gallops up the stairs

Searching for a flash of movement and
that recessive-ly blonde hair

he captures two others and pulls them back with defeated faces
but magical is the challenge of
discovering
where their siblings hide and
tracking down their paces

I smile and crouch
underneath a wooden chair,
to see the youngest one,
a gentle look
we share

I grab his hand to help him stand and realize
that a slow and steady demise is such a cheerful game
of hide and seek
through a child's eyes

We should learn to think like
them, and measure out our ways,
because with a big, soft heart
and loving others come what may,
we can lengthen our very short and numbered
days.