Love Poem: Now That I Am Older
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Written by: Michael Degenhardt

Now That I Am Older

Now that I am older, I see
The world is not as safe
as I thought it to be.

As a child, I played
And ran with my friends
Not realizing that
The world could just end.
Never saw all the hatred
Never saw all the wars
Never heard of diseases
Like the outbreak of SARs.

Now that I am older, I see
There were so many things
Unapparent to me.

I walked through the woods
Never a thought for my harm
Now dear ticks carrying disease
Give me thought for alarm.
My days fishing in the pond,
Came quickly to an end
After that poor boy drowned.
I knew him, my friend.

Now that I am older, I see
That parents did more 
Than I thought, just for me.

Protected? Well yes,
They did that with ease
But with so many children
It was very hard to please.
They stopped all the ugliness
From entering our world
So we could go about
Just being boys and girls.
They fought for a life
To provide us with hope
They taught us to stand
So we’d learn to cope.
They loved us with heart
When they hit us with hand
But I was a child then
It is now, I understand.

They loved us all equally
Though favorites, it seemed.
As a child, I wanted out
To be at places I dreamed.
I never gave a chance 
To those old folks at home
As I entered my teens
I started to roam.
Not until on my own
That I found out their worth
It started with their love
That they gave me at birth
It still goes on today,
The love that they gave.
It’s always been there for us
So we can be saved.

Like God up above
But with flesh and with blood
I am thankful for them
And for all their …
Never ending
Protective
Disciplining
Strong
Teaching
Providing
Feeding
Warming
Sweet
Love.