If I Were Three as You are Now

Boys in a Pasture (1874) by Winslow Homer

If I were three as you are now

I’m sure we would fall into friendship

Without once noticing it

And lay there for hours.

If I were three as you are now

I’d like to lace our fingers

And walk the woods with you

And laugh at all the funny trees.

If I were three as you are now

I might ask if life for you

Feel so very much like magic

As it does for me.

If I were three as you are now

I bet our pretend friends

Would share a more real adventure

Than any real man ever did.

If I were three as you are now

The dark wouldn’t feel so dark

Nor the scrapes so smart

When earned with you.

If I were three as you are now

I’d tell you all about my Daddy

And hope to God that you would brag

That yours is better still.

Dedication: To Hugo