A Lesson from Childhood

As the light shimmered off the placid lake,
I sat in wonderment of life;
A stranger to this place unknown to me;
Unburdened through innocence protected.
Having seen no more than six years on earth,
I watched the ripples flow over the water;
Bewitched by the beauty almost unseen;
Bewildered by knowing the unknowable.
My young mind established a crystal world
Where all the coverings shine like diamonds.
No, no, much more than that;
A world which shines from its own inner glow.
My mind wandered to stories told to me.
I was sure the dark shadow below
The surface was the awful whale of old
Which swallowed that good man of God.
Or perhaps the city lost from mankind,
With its crystal domes protruding upward
Like giant reeds lost in the shuffle of time.
A flash of color caught my eye by chance,
So near a broken and crippled dock.
The lifeless piece of tainted red tin
Began to dance in tune with all around.
Not understanding my importance here
Or even my need to be important,
I giggled to myself without a care
And jumped to my feet with excitement.
From this moment on I knew it.
I knew I would conquer a dragon here.
I knew I would play with a mermaid now.
I knew my mind could be my only hindrance.