when i was 8

when i was 8 years old i thought the world ended with my city limits.
when i was 8 years old i thought i could reach out and touch the stars.
when i was 8 years old i thought my mother was god.
when i was 8 years old i thought my father was invincible.
when i was 8 years old i thought my dreams were glimpses into the future.
when i was 8 years old i thought everyone within view was my friend.
when i was 8 years old i thought rainbows were made from magic.
when i was 8 years old i thought kindness was my superpower.
when i was 8 years old i thought every picture i drew on my bedroom wall was majestic.
when i was 8 years old i thought my dogs understood my every word.
when i was 8 years old i thought i was in love, many times, with many different young girls whose hands just happened to be covered in cooties.
when i was 8 years old i thought that dime i found on the floor that one afternoon was worth a fortune.
when i was 8 years old i thought ice cream was an inalienable right, though i didn’t know what the word inalienable was at the time.
when i was 8 years old i thought my teacher was the smartest person on the planet.
when i was 8 years old i thought that bruise on my knee would be the death of me.
when i was 8 years old i thought dinosaurs still existed, somewhere, and that one day my parents would take me to that somewhere and i would be able to pet them and maybe even ride them and maybe, if i was really, really good, i’d be able to take one home and introduce it to my dogs.
when i was 8 years old i thought every smile was real and every promise was unbreakable.
but now i am 25 years old and i no longer waste my time with such silly thoughts.