“Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheat’ed?”

—Johnny Rotten on “No Fun (excerpts)” from Troublemakers, an anthology album

This should be my
second childhood.
I remember
childhood, or I
think I do. Days
shimmered, each one
full of promise:
unbounded time,
more valuable
than gold, silver.
Complaints only 
when I heard THAT
call: "time to come
in"—"time for bed,
young man"—"c'mon
it's time for church".
I still rail, still
complain to The 
Adult, but he 
lives in my head
now. I want to
subcontract my
adulthood so
I can play through-
out my adult
childhood. This role
requires timely
attention to
details of my
life without one
whit of bother
to me...ah, but
then I would need
to hire someone 
to watch that first 
one. Where would it 
end? No, better
to restrain my 
adulthood to
its bare, needful
minimum, let
my child command
ev'rything else.

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