There she is, plain as day
Must be eight or maybe ten
I can see her in my mind's eye
As I re-live my life again


Ribbon untied and hair undone
Running from swing to merry-go-round
Laughing with joy in the afternoon sun
Free from care at the park playground


Closing my eyes I see her again
Talking to someone standing so near
Heads bent, together making a plan
Sweet sixteen, such a vulnerable year


Of course, those plans never worked out
Her heart was broken as he walked away
She'll not love again, of that there's no doubt
Because, at sixteen, there's only the day


But twenty, thirty, and forty flew fast
What happened to those wonderful years
When so many new worlds faded into the past
While we faced the rest with hearts full of tears?


The day of the playground without any care
Became just a memory after awhile
But, in my mind's eye, the playground is there
And once again, I'm an eight year old child