When I was five

When I was five I played with dolls and waited for Santa to climb down walls.  At the age of ten I wanted to ride a bike that would take me to a magical site.  When I turned twelve I felt confused; a strange awakening arose.  The year I turned fifteen I felt the air begin to spring. At seventeen I fell in love and everything was sparkling bright; my senses turned a strange delight.  At twenty six I bore a child; the happiest memory of them all. I cradled him within my arms and swore I’d never leave his side.  The years rolled by and two more came, the feeling always just the same.  I needed them to love and hold and in my arms they made me whole.  The beauty of those early years is now a memory smoked with tears.  My children have all grown and left; and in their place a sadness nests.  I know that they will always be my own true flesh, my beating heart, my nesting place; and I would do it all again; I never tired loving them.