When boys were just boys...
We liked to climb on big toys...
We liked to scream and holler...
And make lots of noise...
Before we learned of girls and their joys...

We liked to play on the Audubon train...
We often came home with a scrape or a sprain...
Our shirts would get ripped...
Perhaps our pants would get a stain...
But we were boys and we would never complain...

One time, I was on top and I ripped my britches...
I had a big gash, and I got some stitches...
My school friend Kelly came over...
And she gave me a few kisses...
My friends started laughing, dumb sons of bitches...

One night, they removed the train from the zoo...
In the cloak of darkness, when no one knew...
The Forman said it was for our own safety...
He was afraid someone might sue...
So they stole our toy, now what’s a kid to do...

© 2022 Jeffrey Pipes Guice
My Wonder Years: A Book