I frolic and play every day of the week,
Not a care in the world,
No restraints, without boundaries, we were simply uncaged.
Wildly running and laughing,
In the sun, rain or snow.
Suddenly having strange pangs in my legs,
The pangs turn to anguish, then to an affliction,
For years I stayed silent, well into my teens.
Unavoidable, compulsory, describes what comes next.
Carved up in the hospital, God help me! I'm hobbled.
For the first time in life, I am sidelined and powerless,
It's unfamiliar and grim.
Fast-forward half a century, I'm feeling beat-up and worn,
This affliction, adversity, is still with me now,
I am just barely mobile, a shut-in most days.
Oh how I long to live once more in the world,
I still recollect who I once used to be,
Full of hope and great promise.
Will I frolic again?
Let's just wait and see.