There. I have to say it, there’s no one quite like you

The spring in your step infects, that bright smile

Shows fortitude. You wear your dreams high

On your sleeves, your eyes are bright,

You silently watch, devouring your future

With your sighs. “Be patient,” you tell yourself,

“One day I will be standing there”

And you watch the Seniors argue

When the Judge takes the chair.

When do dreams become tarnished?

How long does it take for the sparkle

To fade? Who measures time, when

The carcass of ambition is thrown away?

I watch you as I watched myself

Once. That sprightly smile, that joie de vivre

Your eyes too hold stars glittering in the sky

Lighting the way ahead, a life

To live by. Flights to Mars and beyond beckon

Beyond borders, hard work is just a tool to get by.

Stay young, stay foolish, don’t ever lose that glow

I wish you untold fortunes to keep you afloat.

(But when do dreams become tarnished?

How long does it take for the sparkle

To fade? Who measures time, when

The carcass of ambition is thrown away?)