Maybe you were once a kid too, with not a care in the world and only wondrous, wild adventure in your heart.
To all of you who long for another world, to all the once starry-eyed dreamers, to everyone who has ever built a fort in their backyard: this is for you.
There is a land where the bluebird sings
And dew shines like jewels on the grass.
The morning breeze carries a laughing ring
Echoing to the sun
And wildflowers open in the light
To see the children run.
They run through the fields scattering diamond dew
As the wind carries their laughter from afar.
Under the wide awning of deep sky blue
Near the forest eaves,
They search the grass for hidden gems
Of sweet wild strawberries.
The sun shines through the green and yellow leaves
Over cabins and castles and kingdoms.
Empires topple like sapling trees
And Robin Hood reigns supreme,
But war breaks out all over again
When someone captures the queen.
On and on their stories go
'Til they hear the whisper of a call.
In the west the sun hangs low
So homeward-bound they run.
Twigs and leaves underfoot are crunched
As they near the forest’s eaves.
Their mother scolds them for missing lunch
And they go inside to eat.
There once was a land where the bluebird sings
But it isn’t there anymore—
The dew has forgotten how to shine
And the bluebird has lost her fervor.
But maybe someday in a bright new world
Up and in a little further
The children will come again to play
And the bluebird will sing forever.
"Then He who sat on the throne said, 'Behold, I make all things new.'"—Revelation 21:5a
Copyright © 2022 by Josh Clingman