When He Was Young Poem by Jim Yerman

When he was young and didn't know better he admits to being a little haunted
not by ghosts or goblins or monsters…but by all the things he ever wanted.

For instance when his friends and he played baseball…a sport he never mastered
He wished he was a better hitter…that he could run a little faster.

When he found out he needed glasses…if words he wanted to read them
he wished his eyes were better…that glasses…he wouldn't need them.

When he realized his ears were large…in the mirror he would sigh
he'd blink his eyes and make a wish for ears of normal size.

Then he grew up and lo and behold…much to his surprise
he began to see the world through a different set of eyes.

He realized his weaknesses weren't as bad as they could be
When he began to work with children…less fortunate than he.

Oh he still was slow at running but now he didn't care
When he was teaching students who spent their lives in wheel chairs.

And he realized wearing glasses was something he didn't mind
When he taught a young girl in his class…who was completely blind.

And his fear of having large ears was immediately cured
When he was teaching students who could not hear a word.

Oftentimes today…to that young boy the old man's attention drifts
He wishes he could have convinced him…he was born with many gifts…

That if he had the patience to wait…until he was a man
He'd stop dwelling on what he can't do and concentrate on what he can.

Perhaps he would have been less anxious…less apprehensive…less high strung
If all the things he learned when he was older…he knew when he was young.