A life as simple as the pictures that I stared
into as a child,
those clean cut watercolors and pristine woodcuts-
two dimensions of crystal trees and monsters
and shimmering castles-
two dimensions of lofty adventures-
glinting swords, and scaly dragons, and lovely
damsels,
and the muster of heroism that always won
each and every day-
there stood the proud hero, sword held on high-
there stood the conquering explorer,
standing tall beside his flag, fluttering happily
in the thin air swirling about the crest of some
towering peak-
the pictures opened up my young mind like
a heavy blossom-
they showed me a brilliance of color and a palette
of expectation-
I willingly lost myself in those forests,
never hoping to be found-
I purposefully immersed myself in those glistening
seas,
blissfully lost to the world-
life was 1 + 1,
and now it’s an algorithm-
I never was good at math-
counting the days was challenge enough*