i was raised ii

i was raised by country
play outside til it's dark
sink your toes into black mud
don't get lost in the cornfields
catch the lightning bugs at dusk
and wish they'd live forever
but learn that all captured creatures die.

i was raised with freedom
breathe in the smells of the wide open
and run far enough away
so no one knows what you do
a life of pretend and play til
goosebumps prickle and it's time for dinner

i was raised at grandma's table
if you eat before prayers, it's poison
but then you best eat everything on your plate
dishes are done by those who don't cook
and dessert is a course.

i was raised in a home
where the third stair creaks
and the tornado blew away the trampoline again
where the hayloft is too hot for the
club house of our dreams
but the front porch is perfect during summer evening storms

i was raised by simplicity
where dishes with grandma
baking bread bears with mom
were my first lessons
where the Easter egg tree at church and
pastel mints on a plastic table cloth filled my heart's content

i was raised to explore
"no TV! go outside and play!"