Your inner child
So filled with glee
At toys and sweets and cakes and treats
Declines with years, until one day
You anticipate aging with dismay
A roll of fat, a flash of grey
The looming signs of your decay

And then you look, up and see
The greetings from your family
Your loved ones’ voices expand your heart
With the same resounding joy
You felt when you were eight, or six, or three
Your friends from near and far send wishes
Via every channel that there is

The pile of gifts! The smiles! The love!
Takes the edge off each passing year
Until you sit, content and pleased
That you continue to defy inevitability
You may not be able to stave off
Time’s inexorable march
But you’ll always be a six year old, in your heart