That Was Then

We used to run the fields together
not a care to imagine
boys and girls alike
laughing shouting playing.

That was then.
Now rigid rules exist.
We're strapped down
and clothed in protocol.
Like jewelry we wear our friends,
not for company, as accessories.
It's always about seeming,
it used to be more being.
Who could've imagined
our sad state today.
Always a stiff hello,
no more laughing together,
no more shouting together,
no more playing together.
And nobody blinks an eye.
Just as I thought.