Amusement Park

for Jill on her 32nd birthday

if we wanted what was good and right

we'd already have it

but we weren't conceived that way

we will shed more tears than others

the low places that we sometimes find ourselves

is the price of admission

for the ride that we are on

for scaling such grand heights

we need to be buckled in

we throw our arms in the air

and scream with a blend of fear and delight

what seems like years

is but a moment

and then we hold each other

and talk about what it was like

then we look at each other

and jump on the next ride

they all last far too short

but it is an amusement park

that we live in

and our hearts bend

they don't break

if we wanted what was good and right

we'd already have it

but we weren't nurtured that way

we will shed more tears than others

the low places that we sometimes find ourselves

is the price of admission

for the ride that we are on


— Mark Butkus